Faded Dreams
by bestifreplaced
Summary: A failed assassination attempt leaves Naruto alone with a new gift, the Rinnegan. Now Naruto must try to come to terms with who he is and what he must do to survive. Naruto/Temari much later on.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Another story idea that I had. It is Naruto with Rinnegan. I am hoping it will be different and not an overly powerful Naruto fic.

Chapter 1: Solved Mysteries

His body was motionless as he sat on the railings of the hospitals rooftop. He had been there since earlier morning before the sun rose and now, as far as he could tell, it was noon.

The small boy watched with bloodshot eyes as the village down below went on with their day, like they did every day, but today was different. For him, he could no longer go through the motion of living the way he used to, for his life was changed. Last night, two people tried to kill him.

His eyes quickly darted to his left to see a small blur, but it was gone. A faint smile made his way to his face as he glanced down to the streets below. He was happy that he wasn't alone. He didn't want to be left by himself.

He would have made some type of motion to let the man know that he saw him but he was tired, too tired to do anything but sit and observe the quiet village below.

Still, he wandered how he awoke in the hospital and how he came to wear the clothes that the hospital gave him because, according to them, his clothes had been too torn to give back to him, so they dressed him in tan shorts with an all black shirt. He was lucky that they were close to a good fit. _'I can tell the Hokage brought me these,'_ he thought happily, _'he is always thinking of me.'_

/Break/

"You must reconsider, Hokage-sama!" Danzou yelled, "You must see reason!"

"And what reason is that?" The Hokage replied back furiously, "So that you can make him a weapon! I will not allow that in my village! You seem to forget that he's only seven and that I am Hokage!"

Danzou gritted his teeth and pressed on, "But we have something that no other village has, that all other village's dream of! Our Jinchuuriki has the fabled Rinnegan, the eye of legend! Please think about this, if he is not trained properly then he could become a threat to our village!"

Sarutobi lost some of his temper when he heard the last part of Danzou's argument. He knew, as well as everyone else, that if Naruto was not trained properly and in an uncontrolled environment, then sooner or later someone was bound to be hurt or even killed. However, Sarutobi also knew of Danzou's hidden agenda, to make him an emotionless weapon for Konoha's personal use. That was something he would not allow.

"We have been arguing for hours. Might I suggest that we both sleep on it and decide tomorrow morning?" Danzou suggested as he began walking to the door. "We will have a better understanding of everything later and we will also invite the rest of the council."

The Hokage agreed and then watched him leave for the door. He sighed heavily as he walked back to his desk and sat comfortably at his chair as the sound of his office door closing echoed throughout the room. At first he glanced at his never ending pile of paper work, and then he glanced out the window before he decided to spin his chair around completely and begin his visual search for the boy in question through the surrounding windows.

'_What will I do with you Naruto? Why must you be the carrier of the legendary Rinnegan as well as be the son of the great Namikaze Minato, and our only Jinchuuriki?'_ It seemed to him that life was unfair to the poor boy, especially since both of his parents did not make it through the Kyuubi attack, leaving him to be an orphan. _'I just don't know…'_

/Break/

Naruto remained on the rooftop for a long time, contemplating life and what he wanted from it. He felt that with the new found information that he gained from the ninja that abducted him last night, he was able to make sense of his life and why things were the way they were. It was as if a veil was lifted from him and he was able to finally see the other side, to see why others hated him.

The events of last night were still burned in his head. He remembered being dragged through the woods so vividly, as well as being tied to a tree in a clearing. He remembered the smell, the noises, but more importantly, he remembered what was said.

"Why are you doing this?" He remembered shouting as they walked slowly up to him with weapons in their hands. "Revenge," was their answer, "Because you are the son of the Fourth Hokage and because you are a Jinchuuriki. Our village cannot allow you to live."

It wasn't until later that Konoha's anbu found him leaning against a tree, crying. It was something the boy did not remember but afterwards he was informed that his eyes where different. They told him his eyes were a dark grey, rippled pattern and it took two of them to calm him down before they could bring him back to the hospital. The only thing the boy could remember was a red eye with spinning black dots glaring at him through an anbu mask, making him sleep.

The small boy turned his head slightly to the left so that he could have the Hokage Monument in his peripheral. He wanted to make sure his father was still looking at him. Although he was finally able to learn who his father was, he still could not get over the other events of that night. _'We cannot allow you to live…'_ that statement struck home to him. It's what kept him from leaving the rooftop that whole day.

Even now he wished he could learn more of his past. _'Because you are a Jinchuuriki…'_ What was that? What was a Jinchuuriki? He felt that was his next course of action, was to find out more about his past and hopefully place all the pieces together. What were Jinchuuriki? Who was his Mother? What happened to them and why is he hated so much? He made an oath to himself that he will not stop until he found answers to all of his questions.

It wasn't until the sun began to set that he decided that he needed to go eat something, so he naturally went for ramen. After all, only a nice bowl of ramen could help him make sense of everything that had happened the night before.

So the young blonde hopped down from railing and back onto the rooftop before he headed for the door that lead downstairs.

It wasn't until a few minutes had passed that he made his way to the bottom floor and made his way for the exit that lead to the streets.

It was wise that he decided to leave the rooftop that late because there were less people wandering the streets. Even though there were only a few people left outside, he could feel the intensity of their glares. It felt as if the whole village was looking at him, judging him. The boy figured that the events from last night had already spread.

He didn't know why he began to run all the way to Ichiraku, or where he even found the strength too, but all he did know was that the sooner he got away from them, away from the people looking at him, the safer he would be.

/Break/

It was earlier than Sarutobi expected but none the less he was ready when a messenger knocked on his door to inform him that the council and elder Danzou was ready for him.

The elder Hokage sat up from his comfy chair and proceeded to the meeting place, which was one floor below his in a secluded room.

When he arrived, both the two elders and Danzou sat patiently in a semi formal room with two chairs and one couch, all facing a center table where a tea pot and several cups where already laid out. _'I can already tell this will take a while.' _He was glad he had assigned his assistant to take over his duties while he attended this meeting. _'Maybe he'll finish my paperwork!'_ He thought hopefully as he sat down in one of the chairs.

To his left was Danzou in the other chair. He looked the same as usual with bandages covering his forehead and right eye as well as his left arm resting atop his cane.

In front of him sat the two elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. They occupied the couch one the other side of the table and both of them were sipping tea.

"Thank you for coming, Hokage-sama," Koharu started out between sips.

Sarutobi nodded while shifting around in his chair so that he could be more comfortable.

"I will not keep you long, Sarutobi-san," Homura began as he placed his cup down, "I suppose you know what this is about?"

"Yes, I am well aware of the situation at hand." Sarutobi said at once as he readied himself for Naruto's defense.

"Well then, it seems that we have many issues that we need to discuss. We will begin with the Earth Country, mainly with Hidden Rock."

"Ah yes, the assassination attempt." Danzou responded, "It seems that, because Naruto was their direct target, they know that he is either the son of the Fourth or that he is our Jinchuuriki."

"With what we can figure out, they probably know both." Homura replied, "If it were a regular assassination attempt, then they would have done it right then and there and be done with it but because they went through the effort to take him out of our village, then that can only mean one thing."

"Hmm." Sarutobi was at a loss of what to think. He did not know how Iwa knew of Minato's son, but he suppose it didn't matter now, what mattered was Naruto's safety. "So what should we do with Iwa?"

"I believe this is an act of war." Danzou stated, "If they are going to attack our Jinchuurki directly then I believe we should respond with the same."

"Do not be so hasty, Danzou." Koharu spoke quickly, "We have already informed our Feudal lords and the ruler of Fire country. The Daimyo has informed us that he will be confronting the ruler of Earth Country on this matter. Meanwhile, we have sent our fastest messenger bird to Iwa regarding the situation as well."

"Yes Danzou, there is no need for war, especially if we can avoid it after the tremendous loss we've experienced seven years ago. For now, we will wait and see how Iwa will treat this. I doubt he will reignite the war between us since we both experienced loss during the war." Homura added as well. "Meanwhile, we will be using this time to stage our own investigation."

Sarutobi seemed happy with the outcome and how Koharu and Homura were looking for a peaceful solution, especially after what had happened with the Cloud village only a few years prior with the Hyuuga clan.

"We will deal with this after we receive word from Iwa then?" The Hokage asked.

"It seems so, but still, we must prepare for an attack. That is why I recommend that Naruto be trained with special care. Also, I will volunteer to look after his training." Danzou looked around the room for support, he had none.

"Danzou, even if we went to war with Iwa over this incident that does not mean that Naruto would be ready for battle after only a few weeks of training. It will take years to master all that he is capable of." Homura replied. "Still, I do believe that Naruto must be trained properly and under the strictest care, even more so now that he has the Rinnegan."

"Ah yes, the fabled Rinnegan. His situation has become more delicate now that he has another tool in his arsenal." Danzou replied.

"Yes, the reports from the anbu that found him described the scene as messy. I'm sure they have seen worse but still, coming from a small child meant the boy is capable of disastrous things when he is older." said Homura.

"I read the reports as well." Danzou added simply, "He is in the academy now and we do not want him repeating his performance from the woods. We cannot allow him to endanger the rest of the students in the academy."

"True, that is why I agree with Danzou and will accept his tutelage over Uzumaki Naruto." Koharu said while glancing over to her partner. "The academy will not be enough for Naruto and I fear that he may not be accepted within the shinobi community. That is why it would be best for Naruto to go with Danzou. Isolation might be what he needs."

"But going to the academy will provide Naruto a social balance that kids need. You cannot expect him to go through life and be denied a normal life," Sarutobi quickly suggested. "You also forget that he is the son of the great Minato. Submitting his son to an endless life of training would be disrespectful to him and all that he sacrificed himself for.

"Yes, Sarutobi is right. We must let Naruto live a life where he will progress regularly along with the other kids his age. Then maybe he will become accepted by his own age group. Without a normal life, he might become mentally unstable. After all, he is no Itachi and we cannot expect him to do the same as him." Homura said as he remembered the young Uchiha who was ordered to kill off his clan only a year ago.

"You forget that Naruto is not a normal child and that he will never be able to live regularly. Even if he is the son of the Fourth, Minato knew what he was getting his son into when he chose him to be the host. There is nothing we can do now but look after his legacy with as much care as possible. At least with Danzou he will be under surveillance and also be safe from harm. As for Itachi, he was a special case. He grew up on the battlefield and hated violence. Naruto did not grow up on the battlefield and so he may actually learn to live with it and accept it as a necessity for our survival. "

"Koharu is right, with me, Naruto will be safe from future assassination attempts but also he will live with highly skilled shinobi that watch his progress and monitor his actions. Also, I will make sure to treat him as a hero like the Fourth wanted." Danzou said with a slight smile. _'Game. Set. Match.'_

Sarutobi knew he was losing the battle so he opted for another strategy. "Does it have to be Danzou who trains him?"

"What do you mean?" Koharu and Danzou both asked.

"If I find someone else to train him, would you accept that?"

Danzou narrowed his eyes because he knew what Sarutobi was getting at.

"Like who?" asked Koharu.

"Me," the old Hokage replied. "I will train him. After all, I did train the legendary Sannin."

There was a slight pause in the room and Danzou began to feel anxious. All of his plans where waiting on their answers and he knew that if they said yes, he would lose a great tool in his army. To his great surprise, the awkward silence was broken with laughter.

"I am sorry Sarutobi but neither I nor Homura will allow that." Koharu said with a smile still plastered to her face. "You have other responsibilities and a village to attend to, where would you find the time? Besides, using anbu to look after him all the time is unwise seeing as they are used for other things. We are already shorthanded and using them to protect Uzumaki does not seem wise when you are off completing your duties as Hokage. It seems to me that we have to only one option and that is to-"

"What about Jiraiya?" The old Hokage asked, "What if he trained him? After all, he is a sealing master and will know how to handle his training. Besides, he also trained the Fourth. He is his godfather after all and has more rights to him than anyone else."

"Well what about protecting him? Is he able to look after him all the time?" Danzou asked. "That task alone needs more than just one man."

"You forget that he is a Sage." Homura stated. "I believe he is up to the task of protecting him. After all, with him beside Naruto you will be hard pressed to find anyone to go against a Sannin, let alone the Toad Sage."

"Hm. Very well, inform Jiraiya that he must be back in the village within a week. I want Uzumaki Naruto to be well protected and I want his training to start as soon as possible." Koharu stated as she began to sit up to leave. However, when she saw the distraught look on the Hokage's face, she paused and looked back down at him. "You do know where he is, right?"

When Sarutobi did not answer her, she feared the worst. "Well this changes everything! Why would you suggest Jiraiya to train him if you don't even know where he is?" She asked as she sat back down.

"She is right," Homura added, "We need Jiraiya here if he is going to be looking after Naruto."

"Very true," Danzou added, "We also cannot wait forever for him to get here either. There is also no guarantee that he will even want to train him, let alone stay in the village for this. What if he wants to continue his travels?"

"Danzou is right, there is no guarantee that Jiraiya will even look after the boy let alone train him. We must consider other options. "

The old Hokage knew this would take longer than necessary and so he took a sip of his tea while still listening to the others debating over Naruto and his future. _'How can I win this argument…wait a minute, why must I win?'_ He thought at last as he placed his cup down on the table. _'What if nobody wins…'_

Then the Hokage cleared his voice, making sure he grabbed everyone's attention and said, "I have an idea that might satisfy everyone."

/Break/

The young boy stared up at his ceiling from his bed. He was alone in his small apartment and had yet to go out that entire day. He was scarred of what people might say, but also he was trying hard to remember what happened that night, the moment he blacked out.

He wondered how he was rescued and who had saved him from the two foreign shinobi. Naruto figured they were not from his village because of the different headband that they wore and they spoke of revenge. Sure the village he was in now looked at him with fearful and sometimes hateful eyes, but never have they acted on their feelings.

After pushing those thoughts away, he turned his head to see the digital clock by his bed. He wasn't surprised at all that it was only noon, so he decided to take a quick shower and head out to see how the other kids were. After all, he was supposed to be attending the shinobi academy but because of recent events, he decided against it.

"It's not like I'll be missed anyway," He told himself as he stood up and headed for his drawer to pick out some clothing. "I don't have any friends there and they all seem to dislike me."

Minutes later, when he had stepped into his hot shower, he began to notice strange scratches and bruises along his body. At first he wondered how they happened and why did he not feel the bruises earlier but soon he realized that, whatever they were, they had already healed and where just scars, reminders of what had happened. His hands went down to touch them and then he froze as the memories from the night before began flooding his mind.

It came suddenly, a power surge like none he had ever felt when he was tied to that tree, ready die by the hands of those foreign nin. Red and orange chakra began to consume his body as his eyes transformed into vertical slits. He felt like a caged animal that wanted to be free.

Breaking the bonds were easy considering that they weren't expecting a demon boy to unleash his power, but when they began attacking him in hopes of killing him quickly, Naruto's eyes transformed again to keep him alive. His vertical slits gave off ripples that expanded outward until it covered his entire eyes. His new found abilities helped him avoid all the jutsus and weapons that were thrown at him. It was enough to give him the edge in battle.

And then, using their own weapons, he killed them.

He killed them.

Naruto had taken two lives.

'_I killed them.'_ He thought as he slowly reached out to turn the water off. _'I killed them.' _His vision slowly began to blur while his stomach started to churn. He was going to be sick.

His hands reached for the walls for support as he left the shower and placed the new clothes on. His hair was still wet but he did not care. All he wanted right now was to lie down and rest. First thought he had to make it to his bed before passing out.

/Break/

"So it is agreed then?" Danzou asked everyone as he stood up from his chair.

"I believe it is." Homura said while Koharu stood up as well, a sign that the meeting was at an end.

'_It turned out much better than I expected.'_ Sarutobi thought as he stood up from his chair as well. _'The hard part is now finding Jiraiya or Tsunade before it is too late.'_

"Thank you Sarutobi-san for your time and to you Danzou-san for your contribution." Homura said before bowing to the two of them and leaving. Koharu gave her thanks as well before following right behind Homura.

All that was left was Danzou and Sarutobi.

"That was fun." Danzou stated dryly before walking past the Hokage, "We shall know what to do in a week's time."

Sarutobi just nodded and waited for him to leave before sitting back down while sighing heavily. _'Everything depends on Jiraiya or Tsunade...Hopefully one of them will come through for me just this once.'_

The deal was simple. Naruto would remain in the academy to learn his basics such as chakra control, and Konoha's history, but more importantly it will help him attain a more normal life and hopefully it will keep him mentally balanced.

However, after the day ends, he will be either staying with Danzou under his guard and be training with him or will be staying with Jiraiya or Tsunade. He will no longer be living on his own.

The old man rested his elbows on his knees while placing his head in his hands. He figured that, if Jiraiya and Tsunade did not make it back in time and Danzou became Naruto's guardian, then he could pull Naruto out of his academy class if he wanted too. "Homura and Koharu will not say anything because it will be too much of a hassle to keep their attention constantly on Naruto's progress." He said sadly to himself.

After a few minutes of contemplating, he rose from his chair and headed for his office. One the way he passed his assistant and told him that he needed the two specific members of Anbu, ones that he knew he could trust.

"Hai," the assistant bowed and ran off to complete his duty.

By the time Sarutobi reached his office and sat down in his comfy chair, two anbu casually walked in and knelt down on one knee before addressing their leader.

"Please, take off your mask. I will need you to be traveling in disguise for this mission."

The two nins took off their mask to reveal familiar faces. It was the ones that helped cool Naruto down when they found him in the woods and also brought him to the hospital.

"Kakashi-kun and Gai-kun, what I ask of you requires complete secrecy."

"What is it, Hokage-sama?"

"I need you to find Jiraiya or Tsunade and bring them back to the village as quickly as possible. It must be done within a week. You must leave within the hour.."

Kakashi could tell that this mission required his utmost attention because of the tone of voice his leader was using.

"YOSH!" Gai said while standing tall, "Do not fear Hokage-sama, with Kakashi's coolness and my youthfulness, we shall find the legendary Sannin and bring them back before a week passes!"

Normally the Third would have tuned Gai out or would have ignored him completely, but today was different, today he would have complete faith in them. "I hope you're right."

/Break/

It had been four days since the incident and Naruto had finally decided to head back to the academy. He was informed by the Hokage (by letter) that he was excused for a whole week but he was tired of being alone, trapped in his apartment and he did not want to get behind on his studies.

He quickly dressed and headed for the door after getting a quick bite to eat.

It wasn't until he came to class that he regretted coming because nobody wanted to talk to him. Most were too wrapped in their little group of friends and no one wanted to even bother with him. He just shrugged and headed for the back of the class and sat down. He was alone again. Even in a crowded room he was still alone.

/Break/

"Good news Hokage-sama," A man came into the office and knelt down onto one knee. "Iwa has informed us that it was not an act of war and has deeply apologized for their actions. It seems they were rogue ninja's who did not heed the Tsuchikage's orders not to act."

"So they knew what and who Naruto was." Sarutobi said with a tone of disproval.

"It seems so, but the Tsuchikage gave strict orders to leave the boy be and to forget about him."

The Hokage gave a slight smile. _'It seems that even Tsuchikage understood that he is just a boy and that killing him does nothing but cause unneeded stress. What a wise old man.'_

"That is great news. Please inform the elders and Danzou." The old Hokage dismissed the messenger. _'It seems we have avoided war yet again. I wonder how long this will last once the entire world finds out what Naruto has. Still, at least the Rinnegan remains a secret except to a chosen few.'_

From a military standpoint, he had the advantage. Konoha now possessed all three great eye techniques, a Jinchuuriki, and housed a large enough army to withstand any attack. So why was he not happy?

/Break/

Danzou silently fumed when he heard the message but still he was somewhat happy he was not going to war. After all, Naruto would not be ready for quite some time. Years in fact, but still, there was nothing like going to war for him. The thrills, the adrenaline, the conquest, all that he ever wanted in life could come from war, except one thing. _'One day I will be Hokage…one day and Naruto will help me do so.'_

Still, the old war hawk continued down the secret passage that led to his secret underground lair that housed the most deadly group in Konoha, Root.

"What have you found out?" Danzou asked as he approached his small army of ninja who where all kneeling before him.

"We have yet to find Jiraiya-sama or Tsunade-sama but we did place signs and other hidden distractions along the way. I doubt they will make it in time."

"Excellent." Danzou stated, "Only a few more days and the boy will be mine." The old warrior looked around and decided a few things needed to be done.

"You three," He said pointing to the three shinobi at the end, "I need you to clean and empty out an unused apartment we have in section B. If Naruto does come to live with us, he will be granted his own place and will staying in the same complex that most of you live in now."

The three men bowed before dashing off to complete the task, however strange it was.

"I will also need a few more volunteers to continue to watch the boy for the next few days. Our first priority is to keep him safe." When he saw two volunteers stand up, he dismissed them to their new assignment.

"The rest of you will continue on with your duties. I expect all of you to treat the boy kindly when he gets here. Any that harbor hateful feeling for him shall not be allowed anywhere near him and will be quarantined. Is that understood?"

"Hai!" yelled the group of shinobi as they darted off to complete whatever task they were doing beforehand.

'_It may take another decade, but my time will come.'_

/Break/

Jiraiya had been walking for days around the countryside, trying to find the next place of inspiration for his erotic novels. Today though, he was not trying to find any inspiration, but instead was heading back to Konoha. He had heard a few rumors regarding Orochimaru and Akatsuki and needed to inform the Hokage.

The problem was that it wasn't life or death information so he took his time and enjoyed the scenery. This time however, when he approached a fork in the road, one path that leads to a famous hot spring and another that leads to Konoha, he stopped and thought for a moment.

For some strange reason he was compelled to head for the Leaf village, like something important was taking place there. It was almost as if fate was waiting for him to choose a path, one leads towards the end of the world and the other leads to peace on earth. Everything was riding on his decision, or at least that what it felt like to him.

So he had to pause to think for a long time. _'Why is this decision so hard to make?'_

**A/N**: I'm going to go ahead and stop here. I hope you enjoyed it and sorry if it was slow. Unfortunately the next chapter will be the same but it will progress more in plot. The third or so should pick it up a bit and continue at a more regular pace. I just wanted to answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why of the story.

Also, if you're interested, you can check out my other stories and review them as well.

Thanks for reading and please review


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: Thank you for all the reviews! I appreciate it and loved all the suggestions/ideas.

Chapter 2: Decided Destiny

The two traveling shinobi were at a loss on where to go next. It seems that, in the last six days, they have traveled everywhere in Fire country and they still have yet to find either of the two great Sannins.

"This is bad, Gai." Kakashi stated very simply when he realized that time was slowly running out for the two. The copy nin knew how important this mission was because he could still easily recall the urgency in the Hokage's voice.

"I know, Kakashi, but it seems that the two Sannin do not want to be found. That or maybe they are already at the village." Gai spoke loudly with his fist in the airt, "However, we still cannot afford to stop now. We still have a whole day left before it is too late!"

The copy nin was reminded, painfully at that, that he had been traveling almost nonstop for the few days when his legs almost gave out underneath him. Still, he needed to find Jiraiya or Tsunade or else something bad was going to happen, or at least, that was what his gut instinct told him.

"Alright Gai, there are a few more bath houses and hot springs along the way. If he is not at any of them, then I fear we might have failed."

"YOSH!" replied Gai, "Don't speak so negatively Kakashi! Let your youthful spirit guide you on the path to positivity!" Gai was sure to take the opportunity to make his good guy pose. He had nearly perfected it.

Kakashi brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the strangely bright sparkle coming from Gai's teeth. "Alright then, let's go." He muttered behind his mask. "We've wasted too much time already."

/Break/

Danzou was inspecting the newly furnished single apartment. It is where his pupil will be staying after it reaches past noon tomorrow and he felt sure that neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade would show. Even if they did, they would still have to agree to train the Jinchuuriki and he was sure that they would decline, except for maybe Jiraiya.

'_I believe Naruto will find this very generous of me._' He smiled as he looked around the apartment for any problems. He was standing alone in the bedroom when he walked up to the window to look out over the village and he smiled. He realized that, even though they were a short distance from the Hokage tower, they were still well hidden, tucked deep in the back corner of Konoha at the base of the mountain where they Hokage Monument was.

'_I'm sure he will be happy here. He will be close to the academy and he will also have access to private training grounds.'_ He then looked around him to see that above, below, and to both sides of the apartment, there lived competent and strong shinobi who would be silently watching him. In fact, every shinobi in this hidden apartment complex would be watching him when they were not busy with other tasks. This was one sure way to make sure someone was near the boy at all times. He would be safe and carefully guarded.

Even though Danzou had everything planned out, he still needed to keep it secret until the boy was officially his. He had only a day to go. _'I guess I should head to the tower to keep the Hokage occupied.' _Danzou thought as he made his way through the apartment and headed for the door. When he walked out of the apartment and into the hallway, he made sure to lock the room behind him and hid the key within his pant pocket.

Before he reached the bottom level of the complex, he was stopped by two of his root shinobi.

"What is it?" He asked curiously when they stopped to bow.

"Lord Danzou," the nameless root member on the right said, "Naruto has yet to re-awaken the Rinnegan. It may be as you expected and will reveal itself when he is in a life-threatening situation."

Danzou thought for a moment before replying, "I'm sure he can activate it at will, he just doesn't know how yet. For now, continue to watch him and be sure to keep track of his eyes. I want to make sure he even has the Rinnegan before making all my plans future plans."

"Also, we have reports that Jiraiya is headed towards Konoha. He will be here by tomorrow."

Danzou looked at the floor while narrowing his eyes. "Do anything you must to keep him from reaching Konoha. Anything but kill him." His grip on his cane was tightening._ 'I do need Jiraiya alive, but I don't need him interfering with my plans.' _It wasn't as if the old war hawk hated the Toad Sage. It was quite opposite in fact. He admired the Sannin for all that he did for the village. It was because of Jiraiya that he knew of Akatsuki and of Orochimaru's dealings.

"Hai," The two shinobi said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

'_I wonder how much Naruto actually knows about chakra and how to control it. Hopefully he can prove to me that the academy is not pathetic and can teach properly, otherwise I might have to get involved with that as well to insure the future with competent shinobi.' _He silently mused to himself.

/Break/

The Hokage watched the morning sun rise and knew that he had only a few more hours for any of the two Sannins to show up before it was too late and according to his reports, no one knew where the two Sannin were.

Still, his hopes remained high as he went about his day. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours and before long, noon had come.

He sighed heavily as he slowly made his way down to the room where he and the council had met a week prior to discuss this mess. When he opened the door, he found the council plus Danzou standing in a circle, discussing with each other.

"Hokage-sama," Homura greeted as he saw the old man enter the room, "I'm assuming that you did not get a hold of the great Toad Sage Jiraiya or Princess Tsunade."

"I did not, but I implore you to give me more time!" He begged, "He rightfully belongs to Jiraiya and we cannot give him away without his consent."

"I'm sorry Sarutobi, but he lost his right as Naruto's godfather when he left the village to pursue his own interest." Danzou stated, "Besides, we had a deal."

"I'm afraid he is right, Hokage-sama." Koharu said quietly, "Jiraiya had his chance but lost it."

"He didn't even know there was a chance!"

"Most men don't when given one," Koharu said as she glanced over to the pile of paperwork next to her. "Danzou has already gone ahead and filled out the paper work. The only thing it needs now is your signature."

Homura motioned for the Hokage to sit down and read over the contracts and paperwork. "I'm sure you will find everything to your liking. Do not worry, Koharu and I have already spent all morning reading through it and it states what we have promised last week. Naruto will continue his studies at the academy but he will now be personally watched by Danzou. That is the only change."

The Hokage knew that wasn't the only change but he didn't say anything. Before signing he glanced up at the clock that hung on the wall and saw that it was only a few minutes past noon. Still, he paused and looked at the door, hoping to hear a knock or some type of interruption, but there was none.

He sighed heavily and went about signing the papers. "Will I still be able to see Naruto?"

"Of course Hokage-sama," Homura said, "It's not like he's leaving the village or anything."

He sighed again and hurried through the papers and signed them.

"All finished," he said at last as he glanced towards the window.

"Excellent Hokage-sama, Homura and I will take these and will be on our way." Koharu said while gathering up the paper work.

"Now that all of this is done with, I have placed a D-rank mission that I hope somebody will complete here soon." Danzou said while walking towards the door.

"A D-rank mission?" The Hokage asked, "What is it that you need done?"

"Well I'm not moving all of Naruto's stuff on my own. I am having a genin team do it for me."

"Wait, Naruto is moving? That wasn't part of the deal!"

"You are right; it wasn't so that means there are no rules against it. Besides, how do you expect me to protect and train Naruto if he is not close to me?"

"I am afraid Danzou is right on this one," Homura said as he entered the conversation. "With Danzou being his new guardian, he has jurisdiction on what Naruto does and where he lives, at least until Naruto becomes a genin."

The Hokage silently fumed and decided to let it go. "I'll assign a team to it right away." He said as he walked out of the room and towards his office.

/Break/

Kakashi and Gai felt horrible when they finally reached the Leaf village. They had spent the better part of the last 7 days checking all the bath houses and hot springs in the area. They never knew there could be so many! What surprised them even more was that Jiraiya was nowhere to be found.

What made it worse was that Kakashi had to confront the Hokage and tell him that they failed in their search. The only good thing to come from all this was that maybe he could finally figure out what was going on.

His hands reached up and gave two knocks on the door that led to the Hokage's office.

"Come in," Came the reply from the other side.

When Kakashi and Gai opened the door and walked in, they saw a very saddened Hokage staring at the paper work on the desk.

"I'm guessing you couldn't find him?" Sarutobi asked when he did not see Jiraiya next to them.

"I'm sorry but we tried to." Kakashi answered.

"We did not succeed. Not even Kakashi's coolness and my youthfulness where a match when it came to finding him." Gai responded. His voice was a little quieter than usual.

"That's fine I guess. What is done is done I suppose."

"If you don't mind me asking Hokage-sama, what was so important with finding Jiraiya-sama or Tsunade-sama?"

"It concerned Naruto. Now he is staying with Danzou."

Kakashi's one visible eye widened slightly at the news. He had no idea that it was going to be this severe.

"You two are dismissed. Tomorrow you may have the day off and then after that, you two will return to anbu."

Both nodded before leaving the Hokage alone.

/Break/

The young boy was surprised when he arrived in his apartment hallway from the academy to see several shinobi leaving his apartment and taking all of his stuff.

"Hey what are you doing with my stuff?!" He yelled as he approached his room. He almost reached them but suddenly he was stopped when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto." The voice belonged to a tall man who had bandages wrapped around his right eye and forehead. "I'm Danzou and I will be your new guardian." He gave no effort to smile.

Puzzled, he looked over to the shinobi who were taking his stuff, placing it in boxes, and moving them outside of his room. "Who are they?" He asked.

"They are genin and are part of a genin team. They must complete D-rank missions and this would qualify as one."

"Why does this qualify?" The boy asked as he watched them.

"Because, Naruto-kun, it improves teamwork which is essential to the survival of the group." He said as he led the young boy into his apartment to look around. "Simple tasks like these help you know your teammate and what they are capable of. It also shows you what they are like as people and what you can expect from them."

The boy began a small tour of his little apartment to see what exactly they had taken so far.

"Take a good look around Naruto-kun because you are leaving your apartment."

"What?" he was caught off guard, "Why am I moving? "

"I told you that I am your new guardian so you will be moving to another place. Don't worry; you will still have all of your belongings and your own place." He stated in a calming voice.

Naruto felt strange but excited at the same time because all he knew was that someone was now going to watch him. _'A guardian? Does that mean I won't be alone anymore?'_

"Tell me Naruto-kun, how much do you know about being a Ninja." He asked. He already knew the answer because he had chatted with the teachers at the academy about his progress and to a few of his classmates but still, he wanted Naruto's voice on the matter.

"I don't know really besides doing missions and keeping the village safe."

Danzou didn't press the issue because that was the answer he was expecting. He could tell from what others had told him and from what the teachers told him, he wasn't being treated as fairly as the others and was being left behind on purpose.

"I will train you Naruto." He said calmly and simply as he began walking out of the apartment complex, "but only if you want me to."

He saw Naruto from the corner of his eye light up with glee as he danced up and down.

"Are you serious?" Naruto was so excited that someone was taking an interest in him.

"Absolutely but for now, you will continue to go to the academy. During this time I will be sure to have someone help you in your studies." He said with a fake smile. _'I have a long way to go with him but it will be worth it.'_

/Break/

It had been two days after Naruto moved into his new apartment when Jiraiya finally walked into the village. It was nearing sunset and he supposed it was high time to visit the Hokage and tell him about Orochimaru and of Akatsuki.

When he arrived at the Hokage tower, he found his old sensei on the roof staring at the carved portraits of all the past the Hokage's.

"Admiring your youth?" He called out to his old sensei as he approached him.

The old man did not answer him but instead he chose to take another puff from his pipe while he continued to stare at the Fourth's carved out face.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to see me?" Jiraiya stated as placed his hand on the older mans shoulders.

"I am disappointed in you Jiraiya, more so than usual. Although I guess it is uncalled for considering that I gave you permission to leave the village all those years ago."

"Disappointed?" He asked, "why?"

"I needed you here, Jiraiya, so that you could protect your godson. Now I fear that he may be lost to us."

"Something happened to Naruto!" Jiraiya exclaimed, "Please tell me what happened!"

The Third kept his silent and calm demeanor and continue to puff on his pipe. Finally, he glanced at him so that he could look into his pupil's eyes. "Because you were not here, I had no choice but to give him to Danzou."

"Danzou?!"

"Yes, it seems a little more than a week ago Naruto was kidnapped and was about to be killed. During this ordeal, Naruto apparently activated the Rinnegan and defended himself. In the process he killed the attackers."

"Naruto has the Rinnegan?" Jiraiya asked. _'Could he be the child of prophecy? I thought it was Nagato or Minato, but could I have been wrong?'_

"Yes and it seems that the council could not let this go. They feared that another assassination attempt would occur and thought it would be best to have him well protected. His identity is known to almost all now."

"So Danzou offered to take care of him?"

"Yes, but I was hoping you would show up and claim him. After all, he was your godson."

"No, he IS my godson."

"I'm afraid you lost that privilege when you left the village, Jiraiya."

The toad sage didn't know what to say so he just stared up at the Hokage Monument and thought to himself. _'Sorry Minato, I've failed you again.' _He did his best to hide the tear that fell from his left eye but the Hokage could see it clearly.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya but if you would have stayed at a close distance like we asked you to, then this would never have happened."

"What are you talking about, I was close by."

"Then were where you?" Sarutobi turned to face him

"I headed right for Konoha but a new bar had opened up and there where people talking about Orochimaru outside so I stayed to listen and had a few drinks. The next thing I know I woke up in the middle of the woods. I don't remember anything in between and I can only assume I was out for a few days."

The Hokage nodded. He could figure out exactly what happened but he chose to keep it to himself. _'It seems Danzou interfered. I only wish I had proof that it was him.'_

"I see," The Hokage frowned while he continued with his pipe. "Do you wish to get him back?"

"Of course!" Jiraiya practically yelled.

"Would you train him like you did his father?"

The Hokage expected an immediate response but to his surprise, he received complete silence. "You won't train him?"

"I don't know if I'm ready, sensei. I already failed his father, I-I just don't want to do the same with him."

"I have faith in you Jiraiya that you'll do just fine. Although, you would have to stop you're traveling for a few years because I seriously doubt the council letting him outside without him being able to handle himself."

Jiraiya pondered for a moment, "Does the village know of his heritage?"

"Not yet," The Hokage said, "I planned on telling the village when Naruto reached Chuunin rank but I suppose it doesn't matter now since the foreign villages know."

"Does Naruto know?"

"Yes. It seems when he was kidnapped he was told many things. Including him being a host although I doubt he knows what that entails."

"If he is anything like his father then he'll try to find out."

"Well that is out of my hands now."

"Maybe not. If you start telling the village about Naruto's heritage when he becomes a genin, then maybe they will want me to train him seeing as how I did a great job with his father."

"You might be on to something. Then the rest of the village will demand that you look out after him."

"Well you forget sensei that I was always a genius." The toad Sage smirked.

There seemed to be a long, awkward pause until Sarutobi thought of something.

"So you were on your way to Konoha?" The old Hokage asked him.

"Yes, I came here to discuss Orochimaru and Akatsuki with you. It seems there are some interesting rumors floating about."

/Break/

Naruto was finding his new life to be far better than his old one. Now, instead of coming home to an empty apartment, he would come home to neighbors who would help him with his homework from the academy and to also take him out to the training fields where they would teach him how to throw kunai or shuriken.

However, in the past few weeks, he has yet to see any of their faces. They were always in Root costume and where still wearing their masks. Still, he didn't care because with their help, he was no longer dead last in his class, but rather he was average now. It was just that his grades did not show it because it would take a lot longer than a few weeks to raise them from where they were.

With their help he was slowly realizing his dream of becoming Hokage and with their help, he would reach it.

Something else that puzzled him was that he had yet to meet with Danzou, his new guardian. He assumed that he was a busy man since he was in charge but that did not stop Naruto from wanting to meet him again.

It wasn't until today where he was told to go to the fields that he was able to meet the old man again.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," Said Danzou as he watched the boy walk out into the clearing. "I've heard you have been having trouble in Chakra control. For the next few weeks I will be teaching you what exactly chakra is as well as teaching you to utilize it."

"You're going to teach me to use Catra?"

"It's pronounced Chakra."

"Catra?"

"Chakra, it's pronounced Chak-ra." His tone was still relaxed. He figured he had ten years to teach this boy what he needed to know.

"Oh okay, chakra," He said with a smile. "I think I know it now."

"Good, for today I will be going over what exactly Chakra is and for tomorrow, I will teach you how to control it properly. I will be giving you exercises that you will practice in order for you to perfect it." Danzou said as Naruto looked up at him. "Are you ready to learn?"

"Hai," Naruto said while bowing. _'I'm finally going to learn about this stuff. Maybe then I won't be laughed at in class. I will show them all what I am capable of!'_

"Good," Danzou smiled reached into his shirt and produced a scroll with pictures to illustrate his points later on. _'In two weeks I will learn if he has the fabled Rinnegan or not.'_

/Break/

"Danzou, you better not be recruiting him into root." The third Hokage said as Danzou took a seat in his office.

"Is that why you called me here? You fear that I will recruit this boy as a weapon." Danzou wished he could hide the smirk on his face. "You forget that he's only seven."

"I know you want to and if I so much as here a rumor that he has been integrated into that group, I will shut you down completely."

"You fear Root then?" Danzou asked casually. "You should have nothing to fear Hokage-sama; we are just a small group that helps with protecting this village, that's all."

Sarutobi was not convinced. He knew exactly what Danzou was capable of and what he wanted so he had ordered his anbu to keep an eye on them, making sure Naruto did not disappear from the academy.

"You seem stressed Hokage-sama. Maybe you should take a small vacation to relieve your mind from stress."

"No thank you Danzou-san, I believe I am still quite capable of running this village."

"I never said you weren't. I just merely suggested a vacation."

The third knew better than that. He could easily infer exactly what Danzou wanted from him. _'He wants me to step down but I will not allow it. He may have won Naruto for now, but I WILL get him back.'_

"Is that all you wanted to discuss with me?" Danzou asked. He was ready to leave the office.

"I want news on Naruto. I want to know how he is doing."

"Well, as far as I can tell, he is exceeding in his academy work and is slowly catching up to the Uchiha Sasuke, the number one in his class. But I'm sure that will take a few more years to catch the Uchiha prodigy." He smirked.

"I know you've had him for little over a few months now and I want to know if he indeed has the Rinnegan."

"He does but we are still working on what exactly it is capable of. No one knows for sure it's power but we shall see in due time."

"Make sure he is watched carefully." Sarutobi said quietly as he glared at him.

"My, it seems you have no faith in me. Don't worry, when he trains with his Rinnegan, I'm there personally to oversee it."

"Anything else?" He asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Danzou said as he stood up from his chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other things I must attend to."

/Break/

Four Months had now passed and Naruto felt as if his progress was starting to slow. He felt that he had not progressed at all since his birthday a few weeks ago. However, he could now understand what the teacher at the academy was talking about and he also knew of the three basic techniques: Buunshin, Kawarimi, and Henge though he could only properly perform the Henge.

"Alright," Danzou said as he stood a few dozen yards from his pupil. "Activate your Rinnegan."

Naruto looked up at Danzou and nodded before concentrating Chakra to his eyes. Whenever he did so his eyes usually converted to the Rinnegan. He quickly did so without hesitation and glared around the area. With it, he could see everything.

"Naruto-kun, we will begin the test again." Danzou said as he motioned for his Root members to start throwing kunai and shuriken. When they let their weapons fly, he was reminded that for the past few months, they were not able to get anything from Naruto because with his eyes, he was able to see all the projectiles and effortlessly dodge them.

Then he looked on to see that this time Naruto was again dodging the shuriken and kunai with little ease. _'I wonder how we get those eyes to work…_' He then remembered the reports from long ago and remembered what had been said. _'Only in life or death situations…'_

He didn't want to resort to such tactics just yet until Naruto had more training but he assumed that maybe Naruto was different. Maybe Naruto flourished under highly stressed situations. Maybe he flourished in the midst of battle. _'There is only one way to find out.'_

Suddenly, without any sort of warning or indication, Danzou charged his young pupil. He was too fast, even for the experienced root members to keep track of, but Naruto could. His eyes caught a blur in his peripheral and he immediately threw out his arms, causing everything to be pushed away from him with a violent, unseen force.

Danzou was caught off guard and was forced back into a tree. He had a smile hidden on his face. _'It seems Naruto does flourish in battle.'_

Naruto saw what had happened and began running over to the old man but Danzou proved to be much stronger than he looked and stood up and stretched his back. "It seems we are finally getting somewhere."

Naruto smiled and felt truly happy at that moment. He was one step closer to accomplishing his goals. He will become Hokage. There were no doubts in his mind.

"I see that you can push objects away from you. Let's see if you can repeat that performance." He began walking back where he originally was. "Do you remember how?"

Naruto shrugged before answering, "My only thought was that I wanted you away from me."

"Good," Danzou said as he motioned the Root members to throw more kunai and shuriken.

'_Excellent.'_ Was all he could think of when he saw Naruto perform the technique again._ 'This kid is much like his father.'_

/Break/

It was late at night and Naruto was sleeping soundly in his room. Danzou stood on a rooftop nearby along with a few members of Root.

"What of the boy sir?" a nameless root member asked as they stood and stared into the window of the boy's apartment.

"For now we shall focus on the Rinnegan while the academy focuses on the basic jutsus and whatever else they teach there. However I am not impressed on what I hear about the academy so I might have to intervene and take matters into my own hands."

"What about Naruto controlling the demon sir?"

"You mean like the other Jinchuuriki from Cloud or Rock? I think that is too dangerous for him right now and we should probably wait. I'm sure he would be more comfortable learning how to manipulate and control all the elements while focusing on his Rinnegan. We shall worry about him controlling his demon for when he's older. Or maybe…"

"What is it, Lord Danzou?"

"We shall have Jiraiya teach him. Only he knows the intricacy of that seal and I would be a fool to mess with it. Let him deal with it."

"What would you like us to do?"

"Continue watch over the boy. Make sure he is safely guarded at all times. I want nothing interfering with my plans."

"Hai."

/Break/

The sound of thunder echoed relentlessly as the rain continued to pour down. It was something that he had become accustomed to hearing because it had been this way since he could remember. The man just stood there in a large, open room that had a small opening to the outside as he stared at the village below him. He could see the entire village below him from his tower. It was the tallest tower in the Hidden Rain.

"Pein," a soft voice came from behind him, "We have a visitor."

The man turned around to see a woman behind him. She had a small origami flower tucked into her blue hair with black piercings on her face. She also wore the traditional Akatsuki robe.

Pein just turned back around to continue to look back at the village.

The woman could feel the distress in her friend so she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you must feel but please be patient. I know you will defeat Hanzou but as for right now you must focus on the war at hand. We need more control of Rain country if we are going to flush him out from hiding."

"I know Konan," he said with an unusually calm voice, "it's just I know he's out there and close by. I can end it all tonight if I only knew where he was." He ran his hands through his hair which revealed pairings along his forearm that matched the ones that covered his face. He continued his sulking as he began to think about his past. "He will pay for what he did to us Konan. I will kill him for taking Yahiko from us."

"I know," She whispered softly, "I know. But for now you need to come with me. We cannot keep Madara waiting all day."

He turned to look at her and nodded before walking off towards a door to his right. It lead into a series of hallways that only Pein and Konan knew how to navigate.

Within minutes he had traveled down two stories and was approaching a small room with windows on all sides with a small table in the middle.

"Madara-san," Pein greeted as he and Konan entered the room, "What brings you to Ame?" He saw that the man was sitting at the small table with his hands resting quite comfortably on it. _'That spiraling mask…I wonder what he is hiding behind it?'_

"I heard a few exciting rumors. I thought you out of all people would be interested." The Uchiha was taking this time to look about the room.

"What is it this time?"

"It seems that you aren't the only one with those eyes of yours." He said after turning to look at Pein. He wanted to see his facial expression. It was worth it.

Pein's eyes, for the first time, opened slightly with shock. He was beyond surprised. _'There is someone else out there with the Rinnegan?'_

**A/N**: Another chapter written and posted. As for chapter 3, it will return to Naruto (almost exclusively) and will continue like any regular story. I just wanted to set up everything before I get it rolling.

Also I would like to take this time and explain a few things. When I said this won't be an overly powerful Naruto fic. What I meant to say was that Naruto won't be able to defeat everyone he comes across and he will not be able to make bodies and begin controlling them (at least not yet). This is because he wasn't born with that knowledge and just by activating his Rinnegan does not give him knowledge either, only when he blacks out and goes into berserk mode. Nagato did not wake up one day and know what to do. If that was the case then he would not have needed Jiraiya to train him for three years. Also, he was not able to even beat him when he was younger. He needed the help of Konan and Yahiko to beat one of Jiraiya's clone so the Rinnegan does not make you all powerful until you train hard and gain experience over the years.

I just want to be realistic as possible.

As for pairings, I haven't decided yet. I might just leave it up to a vote. If and when you review, just leave a suggestion.

Side note: I don't have any of this Fic planned so I am just going with the flow right now. Any ideas would be helpful.

Thanks for reading and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto.

**A/N**: First I would like to thank everyone for the reviews. I have never really gotten more than eight reviews for a chapter before and I got 14! I loved reading them and I hope you keep them coming. However, I hope I can maintain this level of expectation that I've set for myself. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 3: A New Assignment

Naruto reached up to wipe the sweat off his forehead while he continued to keep an eye on his opponents. There were six in all and they had him completely surrounded. To his far left were two bodies lying on the ground. _'Two down, six to go.'_

His eyes, which were gray with ripples expanding from the center, started to occasionally dart from right to left, trying to anticipate the movements of the men and women around him.

More than half of them had weapons in their hands so he knew that naturally they were going to have to throw them if they wanted to use jutsu because it requires two hands to form hand signs. _'Wait for it, wait for it.'_ He told himself as watched the masks the shinobi were wearing. The blonde figured that the slightest indication of movement could be seen by looking at the masks, waiting for them to tilt or move in any direction.

A man to his left had momentarily moved his head to his right; probably looking for conformation to attack, but Naruto took it as an opening and charged him.

The blonde could feel the other five shinobi begin to move as they drew their hands bank and let loose a volley of shuriken and kunai. Naruto continued his charged towards the shinobi who was now preparing himself for an attack. He waited for the last possible second before unleashing his unnamed jutsu.

A powerful push emitted from his body which forced everyone nearby, including the thrown projectiles, strait back. They couldn't help themselves against it because it was like going against gravity, they just couldn't do it. It was when everyone and been pushed back that he pressed forward with his attack against the man he was originally after. He found him slowly getting up from a tree a short distance away.

Naruto flickered over and constrained him quickly before he was able to get up all the way. He took this time to slowly absorb the masked man's chakra. _'Three down, Five to go.'_ He thought as he slowly lowered the defeated nin.

The other five who were hit with the attack had returned to the offensive swiftly, giving Naruto no time for himself. _'I'm tiring and these jutsus are wearing me down.'_

He dodged an electrical jutsu attack by diving to his right as he prepared for the incoming fire jutsu that was casted his way from his side. He raised his hands up to absorb it, but before he could absorb it completely, he noticed a shinobi from the side running at him, the one who favored taijutsu.

The blonde decided it was best to forget about absorbing the fire technique and move out of the way so he could fend off his newest attacker. He went through hand seals as he dove to his side. He needed to prepare himself for his taijutsu-favoring opponent and finished by the time he landed back down.

"Fuuton: Reppushou (Wind Style: Gale Wind Palm)" Naruto shouted as he aimed his attack on the approaching nin. He threw five shuriken and watched as his wind attack propelled them even faster, making them more deadly.

The nin jumped back a small ways and effectively dodged the attack. He seemed to have an easy time doing it.

'_How on earth can I defeat them all by myself? Danzou does know that they are highly trained root members…right?'_ Sweat continued to poor down from Naruto's head as he used jutsu after jutsu, but to no avail. He was still not physically quick enough to defeat the five Root members on his own. The only satisfaction was that he defeated 3 out of the total 8 that began the spar with him. Better than his usual two.

'_Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning…nothing works on them. They've all seen it before.' _ Was the last thing he told himself as he jumped high into a tree and watched the five left standing down below.

He relaxed a bit when he noticed that they were not going to follow him_. 'They are letting me catch my breath…how nice of them.'_

Naruto was never one to give up so after he rested for a few seconds before he jumped back down into his own created chaos. This time though, he had a different tactic up his sleeve. Instead of utilizing the elements that he was close to mastering, he opted to use the basics to see if they would work.

He began the fight fairly enough by repelling them all back with his technique. It was an invisible force that emanated from his body, the same jutsu he had used a short while earlier to deflect the kunai and to repel those around him.

Then he scanned the area until he found one unlucky soul who was smart enough to place chakra to his feet. Silently, the remaining nin rush towards him with a sword in hand, ready to slice his opponent in half.

Naruto waited calmly and readied his feet into his fighting stance. He watched and waited patiently for his enemy to advance and strike him down, which to Naruto's relief, he did.

The man's sword was before Naruto in a matter of seconds and it took even less to swipe through him.

Poof

Naruto's body turned into a log. _'A replacement!'_ the root nin instinctively looked to his left to see the young Jinchuuriki step out behind a tree. He was doing hand seals.

The young blond had only gone through two before a giant fireball began heading towards him. It was from the other Root nins who had recovered from Naruto's initial attack.

The root nins looked on as the boy continued his hands seals with no signs of stopping, even with a giant fireball heading towards him, he still continued on. Pure determination was seen in his eyes as he stood there; ready to deliver a jutsu when he was engulfed in flames.

Poof

It was a buunshin. A cheaply made clone for the others to watch as the blond initiated his plans.

"Where is he?" One of the remaining nins asked. The nins looked around in slight confusion.

"Formation C!" The leader called out swiftly to his group. He was already feeling uneasy about Naruto disappearing.

The others fell in line and the six of them created a circle with their backs facing each other. In this formation, they were able to watch their surroundings. However, Naruto wasn't among their surrounds. He was so much closer than that.

It only took them a few seconds before the experienced Nins knew what was going on. _'How can there be six of us when we already lost three?'_

The leader was the first to notice and was the first to jump away from the group. The others followed suit and within seconds, they had all separated and distanced themselves from each other.

It did not take long to figure out which one might be Naruto, for he henged himself to look exactly like one of the Root nins that were left.

The leader nodded to the other three and they backed off while waiting for the two look-a-likes to battle it out.

The leader did not abandon his teammate when he passively let the two look-a-likes enter the middle of the training field, it was just that he couldn't tell which one was his teammate and which one was the Jinchuuriki by appearances alone. He was actually waiting on them to fight so he could observe their attacks. After all, he had been with the team he was with now for years and he knew them well, well enough to know which attacks were his and which ones weren't.

Both attackers began to square off and attack when a voice echoed through the training field.

"Enough!" It was Danzou. He was standing at the edge of the clearing wearing his usual clothing and leaning on his cane.

Immediately the nins turned to face him and kneeled while Naruto released the henge and stood there, waiting for orders.

"Naruto," Danzou said while slowly walking towards the group, "I expected more from you." His eye remained on Naruto.

Naruto bowed, "I will do better next time, Danzou-sensei."

"See that you do. Now then, I need you to head back to your apartment. I will greet you there in an hour to give you your newest assignment."

With that being said, Naruto quickly bowed again before rushing off home with excitement. _'A mission? Does that mean I'm finally part of Root?'_

Danzou watched the overly hyper boy rush out of the clearing while he headed home.

When the boy was completely gone, the Root ninjas moved up and rearranged their positions. The leader was in front, kneeling, while the other four where behind him and kneeling as well.

"You four," Danzou said quietly to the back row, "I want you to help the three injured men up and take them back to base."

"Hai," they responded as they leapt up and ran over to check the other shinobi who Naruto had downed earlier.

The leader remained on the ground, kneeling before his master.

"So," Danzou began slowly, "How was he this time?"

"Better," the leader answered quietly as he slowly stood up, "His stamina and chakra levels are beyond expectation. I don't think he is even capable of being tired anymore."

"I noticed that too. Even after I told him to leave he still had energy to dash off. However, even with all that stamina and chakra he was still not able to defeat your team."

"I would not expect him to, Lord Danzou. He still lacks experience in fighting and in judgment. That is something that can only be gained over the years."

"True," Danzou pondered as he glanced over towards the other nins in the distance, helping their injured comrades, "Knowing all the techniques in the world is useless if you do not know how to apply them or even know when to use them."

"Yes, but at least his Rinnegan is developing quite nicely."

"That's good to hear. Still, I wish we knew what it was capable of. It would make training him much easier."

"So what are your plans for him now?" The leader nin asked curiously.

"I am assigning him a genin team. I have placed him in the hands of whom I think is quite capable of training him."

"A genin team? "

"Yes. I have already worked things out with the Hokage and everything is ready to go."

"But why sir?"

"Because he must be at least Chuunin rank before he can willingly join Root. I must go through the proper channels of recruiting him or the elders might take him away from me."

The leader nodded in understanding because he, along with most members in Root, had to be at least Chuunin rank to join. However, there were a few exceptions like, if the village didn't know you existed and you were raised by Root, then naturally you would become part of it without choice. But because Naruto was well known in Konoha, he could not simply disappear, at least without notifying the Hokage.

"That's why you distanced him from all of Root activity, except for the training of course."

"Correct," Danzou was now walking slowly out of the clearing with the leader following right behind him, "As long as the Hokage believed that Root was ONLY watching him and training him, then I was doing my job and had kept to our agreement, but if I had allowed him to participate in any of the assignments that we undertake, then I would have overstepped my boundaries and could have been accused of using him for my own ends."

"Ah, so now the next step is to make him a chuunin and then have him join?"

The old war hawk smiled, "Exactly but during that time I am hoping that Jiraiya will have received my message and come back."

"Jiraiya-sama?"

"Yes. I am hoping he will take control of Naruto's training with the Kyuubi here soon. The sooner he is finished with Naruto, the quicker he will be back in my hands."

"Sir, are you sure it's safe to allow Naruto back into the village? What if he does not want to come back."

"I doubt that," Danzou said with a slight smile, "He loves Root like family."

"But he doesn't even know our names or faces."

"It doesn't matter," said the old war-hawk, "I don't expect you to really understand because you've never been truly alone where no one acknowledged your existence." Danzou was now leaving the forest and making his way to the entrance to his underground base. He turned, "Don't worry. Naruto will always be faithful to us because he has a habit of holding on to things that are precious to him."

But there was another reason as well. One that Danzou kept to himself.

He noticed it right after Naruto became a genin and was no longer under his jurisdiction. He had no control over his actions and yet Naruto still listened obediently. When asked if he wanted to participate in a genin team, Naruto refused because he told him so. Why? Because he was afraid of the popularity he was starting to receive from the village.

'_When people found out who his father was he became more distant. He doesn't know how to handle it because he is used to being hated all his life.'_

"I want you to keep an eye on Naruto until I visit him," Danzou said as he turned away from the Leader-nin.

/Break/

It was around noon and the old Hokage was sitting comfortably at his chair when he heard a sudden knock at the door. He looked about his desk and quickly organized it, in case it was his nagging assistant, before telling whoever it was to enter.

To his surprise he saw his war-craving rival, Danzou, enter his office. He watched him with a careful eye as he took a seat before his desk.

"Well this is an unexpected visit, Danzou," Sarutobi said with his calm demeanor. "May I ask why you are here?"

"I am here to request a favor." The leader of Root said with an unwavering eye.

"A favor?"

"Yes." Danzou replied as he reached into his shirt and produced a scroll. "I heard that Kakashi-kun experienced quite a loss on his mission to Wave country. Although I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of one of his students, I am hoping that I might be able to add another student to his team. After all, I would hate to see his talented team not be able to participate in the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

Sarutobi reached out and grabbed the scroll from him and opened it. He was surprised by what he was reading.

"You want Naruto to be placed on Kakashi's team?" The old man was at a loss for words. '_I haven't seen Naruto in a long while…I wonder how he is doing.'_ But that wasn't all that was going through the Hokage's mind. He was thinking about the possibilities for Naruto, how he could talk to kids his age and to begin to socialize again. After all, he was now an almost accepted part of the village, even if he didn't know it yet. _'Maybe this could be his chance to get back into the village.'_

"May I ask why you are doing this?" The Hokage had thought long ago that he had lost Naruto when he graduated the academy at the age of 9. Now, however, he had a chance to take him back.

"Naruto should not only focus on his personal growth, but on his social development as well. Any shinobi will tell you that teamwork is essential and I feel that Naruto is ready for this."

Sarutobi knew there was much more at work than he was being told, but because no one had seen Naruto in years, he was willing to see what Danzou had in store. _'If only I knew what that man was thinking! After knowing him most of my life I still cannot figure out what he is planning!'_

The Third reached into the drawer on his left and fished for the proper paperwork. "This might take the rest of the day." The Hokage said while glancing over the papers, "But I'm sure that by this time tomorrow it will be ready and Naruto may meet his new team."

Danzou remained emotionless with his left hand still perched atop his cane, "That is excellent news, Hokage-sama. I will be sure to inform Naruto right away." The aged war hawk began to stand up to leave.

The old man looked at Danzou one last time before he lowered his head and sighed, "Be sure to tell Naruto that he will be meeting his team on training ground 11 in the morning. There should be nobody there tomorrow so it should be open."

Danzou replied with only a nod before reaching the door and leaving.

Sarutobi was now alone and able to gather his thoughts.

His first was the most obvious and that was the surprise visit from Danzou. He never expected to see Naruto so soon after he graduated from the academy two years ago. Still, he couldn't say that he didn't miss the boy, in fact, he has been trying to see him for the past few months but the opportunity never showed itself.

The last time he saw Naruto was over a half a year ago. He recalled that the boy was still quite happy and carefree when it came to trivial things. Sarutobi remembered laughing at the fact that, no matter how hard Danzou tried, he could not quite kill the emotions inside Naruto. He could not make him a mindless soldier, but he could still embed strict loyalty to Root in him and that was what he feared most. He was afraid that Naruto would always side with Danzou.

'_I wonder how he will deal with the village.'_ That was his next thought. He did not know how the boy would treat the situation because Konoha had not seen him for years. Only those in Root or Danzou saw him on a regular basis after he graduated from the academy.

"I guess we'll see how much you've grown, Naruto."

He continued to smile until he looked at his desk. His smile went away. _'Why paperwork must always be involved when it comes to dealing with you Naruto is something I'll never know!'_

/Break/

His day was starting to look up, at least for him because the sun was beginning to set and he had just dismissed his team. He was free to do as he wished.

His first stop was the book store where the new Icha Icha installment was and he planned on purchasing it before heading home. The traveling shinobi would have bought it earlier this morning but he felt the need to still comfort his two remaining students because he knew firsthand how it felt to lose a teammate.

He sighed yet again when his memories faded back to Wave Country as he held his dying pupil in his hands. It had only been three days since the boy's funeral.

His thoughts went back to his old sensei and how he must have felt when he lost Obito. _'I can truly understand you Sensei. I now know that you cared about Obito just as much as me, you just couldn't show it because you had to be strong...'_

Losing Obito hurt deeply because he finally became friends with him and because he was his teammate, but losing a pupil made him feel sick. It made him feel incompetent, that he couldn't even protect his own team. He viewed himself as a horrible sensei, but he never let it show. He understood now that it wasn't about how he felt and how he dealt with it, it was about Sakura and Sasuke. He had to make sure they were alright and that they handled it properly. It was about them because he considered himself an adult and understood the need to set an example but the only thing he could do was be there for them.

He paused and looked over to see the bookstand to his right. He realized that he must have traveled without paying attention.

'_Ah, here it is!'_ It was the only highlight of his week really and he couldn't wait to read it. _'I've planned an easy day for them tomorrow so I can read it. A few D-rank missions and will call it a day. But for now,'_ he thought, _'I'll head on home and sleep.'_

Just as he turned away after purchasing his new book, a messenger called out his name. "Hatake-san!"

Kakashi slowed down and turned to face the approaching nin.

"The Hokage asked that I deliver this to you." He held out a scroll.

Kakashi reached out to take it. When he did, the messenger bowed and left.

'_A message? Why would the Hokage send me a message instead of summoning me to his office?'_ He could only shrug his thoughts away as he jumped high onto the nearest rooftop for some privacy. When he checked to make sure that he was alone, he opened his scroll and read what was inside it.

"What!" He yelled when he finished reading. He immediately snapped his head towards the direction of the Hokage tower. He could feel the Hokage watching him behind the Glass but he couldn't see him because of the distance.

'_A new member?'_ Kakashi wondered who the Hokage had in mind to be placed on his team. _'It's only been a few days since his death.'_ He thought of his lost pupil and the reactions from the remaining others when they find out somebody would be sent in to replace their lost comrade.

'_I just hope Sasuke and Sakura don't take it too personally.'_

He let out a small sigh and realized that, not only will he have to inform his team later tonight that they must be at training field 11 in the morning, he will also have to be there on time AND he would spend most of the day NOT reading his book so he can make sure the kids got along.

A tear fell from his eye as he held his Icha Icha book close to his face. "This normally doesn't happen," he whispered to the book, "I swear!"

/Break/

The young boy had recently finished taking a shower, making sure to clean himself up, so that he was ready for when Danzou showed.

He was dressed fully but a towel was still thrown around the back of his neck to catch the water that was still dripping from his hair.

He absent mindedly grabbed the edge of the towel to wipe away the few drops of water that was sliding down his face when he walked into his kitchen and began making himself his favorite meal, ramen. When it was done, he took his meal to the small table up against the wall in his living room and sat quietly while eating.

He chose to sit where he could see out his window. He loved viewing the outside because he could see the Hokage's Tower, the place that he one day wanted to end up.

Rarely though did he ever glance past it where the village could be seen. Never did he look out to see the people of Konoha because he didn't like them. He used to, but not since he graduated from the academy and everyone found out who is parents were. He hated how it changed everyone's opinion over him as if it gave everyone a reason to like him.

Sure he liked it at first when people began to notice him and even somewhat accept him, but then he began to hate it because it was the only reason why people liked him. It was because his father was the Fourth Hokage.

He just wished they knew him for his strength and determination, like Root and Danzou did, not by his heritage. Sure it was handy for a while but afterwards he realized that theses where the same people who used to fear and hate him. _'Even after they found out my heritage they still never took the time to learn more about me. They still kept their distance.'_

He could never forget how they treated him before when he was a kid. How they would glare at him with hate or fear and choose not to acknowledge his existence. It just hurt too much for him, enough to for him to decide that he no longer wanted to be around them. He left them behind and his future was with Root. He would protect the village with everything he had, because it was his duty. He would be the foundation of this village and he expected nothing in return.

'_Everyone will learn to respect me for my own abilities, not because of my fathers. I will protect this village with my OWN strength.'_

It was around the time when he was finishing his meal when he received a knock at the door. He quickly took his empty ramen bowl to the kitchen and placed it in the sink before answering. He already knew who it was.

"Sensei," He bowed in respect, "Please come in." He motioned him in.

The old war hawk entered and went straight for one of the chairs at Naruto's table. Danzou had been to his apartment many times over the years and already knew where everything was, especially the chairs he frequently sat in.

"Naruto," He said as he neared the chair, "Have a seat." He reached for the chair and pulled it out.

The blonde was slightly surprised because usually it was Danzou who always sat down but he knew better than to question his sensei.

"I have something very important for you to do," Danzou said.

"A mission?"

"Yes," he started slowly, training to pick the right words, "Naruto, I need you to be on a genin team."

"What? I thought I didn't need a team!" He said in shock, "I thought I was going to be Root!"

"You are Naruto, but first you must be at least Chuunin Rank in order for you to join officially."

Naruto looked down at the floor. He knew he should have seen this coming, after all, he was told several times by other Root members that they had become Chuunin first before joining Root.

"So that is the mission? That is the huge assignment you were going to give me?"

"Not quite. You see, the chuunin exam is coming up in a few months and I need you to be ready to participate."

"So I will only be on this team for a few months?"

"Yes, after that you will never have to deal with them."

Naruto gave a small, fake smile while he thought about the aspect of going back out into the village. _'I haven't been out there in years…what will people think of me this time?'_

"Naruto," Danzou could see that the blonde was beginning to drift off into his own thoughts, "You will be under the command of Hatake Kakashi. He was a former student of your fathers and as for your teammates; they will be Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura."

The blond nodded in confirmation as he slowly filtered through the names. He knew of his teammates but he never met his new instructor, only rumors or praises from others who knew of him.

"So when do I meet them?"

"Tomorrow morning you will need to be at training field 11."

Naruto stood up from his chair and bowed, "I will not fail you."

"Good," Danzou said while turning to leave, "See that you don't."

/Break/

It was early in the morning when Naruto rose from his bed. He decided to get to the training field early so that wouldn't have to see the villagers on his way there. _'Hopefully the villagers will still be sleeping while I head out. I wonder what time they get up in the mornings.'_

The boy went about his morning as usual as he took a shower and ate a small, ramen-filled breakfast. After he got dressed and filled his weapon pouch, he headed for the door.

His first few steps were uneasy as he started to slowly leave his hidden apartment complex and head out into the village. He continued onward until he reached the Hokage tower and stopped.

In front of him was the entire Leaf village. He was staring down one of the main streets while he stood there, helpless. _'Here we go, now to head over to the training grounds.'_

He vaguely remembered where the training grounds were only because he remembered when he had to go there during his academy days. It was then that he remembered that he did not know where the 11th training ground was.

/Break/

Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi where already waiting at the training grounds. Kakashi was reading his book while both of his students stared at him.

"What?" He asked. His eye never left his book.

"You're actually here on time." Sakura shouted, "That means something big is going to happen."

Kakashi only shrugged at Sakura's response.

Sasuke remained quite as he leaned up against a tree. He didn't care what happened, all he knew was that they were going to get a new teammate and he was still going to participate in the Chuunin Exams. _'I wonder who our teammate is…'_

Sasuke's thoughts weren't only about the identity of his new teammate but also the strength. _'I hope he will prove a challenge…'_

Only a few moments had passed when a figure slowly surfaced from the trees.

"Are you Team 7?" He said with a tired tone.

The young woman of the group looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The young boy that had walked from the woods looked horrible; his hair was a mess with twigs and leafs while his tan capris and plain blue, short sleeve shirt were dirty. His white ankle wrappings that went halfway to his knee and his wrist wrappings that covered most of his forearm stood out in comparison. They remained clean for some odd reason.

"Yes." The Jounin had recognized the boy immediately. _'Uzumaki Naruto….well this is a surprise!' _He looked at the boys eyes and noticed that the Rinnegan was not active. _'He did have the Rinnegan…didn't he?'_

Sasuke smirked immediately when he recognized the boy's blond hair and the blue eyes, "Uzumaki Naruto." Sasuke's eyes glared at him with excitement. _'Naruto was able to pass the genin exam two years ago…he must be strong.'_ His thoughts also drifted towards the rumors he had heard throughout the years about the Rinnegan. _'The most powerful of the eye techniques.'_

Sakura glanced over to Sasuke before looking back over to the new team member. "Naruto?" She questioned.

Naruto gave a fake smile before he began walking over. He reached up and took the twigs and leafs from his hair. "It was crazy getting here." He said more to himself than to anyone else, "Ask one person for directions and the whole village wants to talk to you."

Kakashi looked at the blonde, "Well you have been gone for quite a while."

Naruto only shrugged before looking at his new team,_ 'Since I have to deal with them for a few months I might as well be nice. It will make things easier on me that way.'_

"So what do we do now?"

"Well first you can tell us about yourself," Answered Kakashi. "You know, like your hobbies, likes and dislikes."

Naruto thought for a moment while looking at the ground. He tried shifting through his time spent in Root, trying to decide what he could and could not say. "My hobbies, well I have no hobbies. For my likes, I guess I like to train and eat ramen. As for my dislikes, I would have to say dealing with people."

The rest of team seven looked at the blonde with a raised an eyebrow in surprise. Mostly because this was not the same happy-go-lucky blonde idiot they used to know.

"Well now that's over with, I guess we can go visit the Hokage for a few missions." The Jounin walked forwards until he passed Naruto and headed into the woods.

The genins of the group stayed a dozen yards behind their sensei while they chatted.

"This doesn't feel right Sasuke. I miss Arashi." Sakura said to Sasuke quietly. Naruto was following way behind his two teammates so he could keep an eye on them. He figured it was out of habit.

Sasuke tilted his head slightly, as if to say "I heard you" while he walked. "Arashi died so we could live Sakura. I suggest to you that we do." He said in response._ 'Also, according to Kakashi, we will need a three member team to compete in the Chuunin exam.'_

Naruto, who was not paying attention to what either Sakura or Sasuke was saying, was surprised when both of his new teammates stopped and waited for him.

"Listen," Sakura said very calmly, "Sasuke and I are only letting you on our team because we have to."

Naruto's face remained the same while he listened to his new teammate. The only thoughts that roamed his head were of his training and how he could improve himself. He continued to "listen" while he continued to stare at Sakura. 'Man this girl can talk a lot. I wonder why she's talking.' The blond figured he could listen to her but that would require him to hear her winy voice.

"You got that," Sakura appeared to have finished, "I don't ever want to see you trying to replace Arashi. As long as you do what Sasuke tells you to then we'll be fine."

Somehow, among all the things that Sakura was talking about, the blonde managed to only catch that last part.

"Look, I don't care if Sasuke is an Uchiha or not, I will not take orders from someone who doesn't know what they are doing, especially if he allowed his teammate to die."

The Uchiha heard the blonde and his eyes turned red with hatred, "What did you say?" His eyes had turned into the infamous Sharingan.

Naruto turned around to face him, "You heard me. I will never follow you because you are weaker than me."

Sasuke's blood was now boiling. He hated to admit it but Arashi was starting to slowly grow on him before he died to save them. In his and Sakura's eyes, he died a noble and very much a voluntary death. _'He died so I can live, so I can kill my brother!'_

_Smack_

Sakura had slapped Naruto while he was glaring at Sasuke, "How dare you! Sasuke didn't allow Arashi to die, he choose it to save us. We are here because of him! I don't want to ever hear you disrespect Sasuke or Arashi ever!"

The blond knew immediately that this would be the longest two months of his life when he reached up to feel his face. "All I said was that I will not follow Sasuke until he can prove to me that he is capable."

"Somehow I expected much more from the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage." The Uchiha knew that would hit a nerve, and he was right.

"What did you say, Uchiha brat?"

"You heard me!" Sasuke was more than ready for the challenge. He reached into his pouch and took out a kunai.

"Now children," Kakashi and appeared between them with his face buried in his book. "Should I fail you three and send you back to the academy?"

Naruto was shaken by the threat because he knew Kakashi had the power to do that._ 'Danzou-sama would not be pleased that I gave into emotion like that.'_

The other two only glared at Naruto and ignored Kakashi's empty threat.

"Let's just go and get a mission. Maybe that will calm you children down." Kakashi knew, as well as everyone else, that this could quite possibly be the longest day of their lives. _'I just hope they don't kill each other.'_

**A/N**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I realized that I have not done enough research for the Rinnegan because I noticed a few people point out what I had missed in the reviews. I will try to remedy that in a realistic way and will address the problem in the next chapter (like why he is able to deactivate his Rinnegan instead of being permanent as well as what route I will take with his character).

For those who fear that I will give him the ability to control bodies, fear not. He will be much different.

I also don't know a pairing because not many voted on it. I do like the idea of Temari but until the Chuunin exams I will keep my mind open to possibilities.

For those that think Naruto is weak, he's not. It's just that the beginning made him look weak but you must take in mind he was fighting eight highly trained Root shinobi that work in a unified team. He will get stronger but only after he learns what it means to be truly strong and after Jiraiya intervenes.

Some of you have already guessed that a lot is riding on the chuunin exams. That will be a HUGE event that will determine the rest of the story but that isn't much later.

Thanks for reading and please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: I would like to say thanks to all those who reviewed. I've never received so many for one chapter! I will answer most questions/comments from last chapter below. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Power Shift

"Are you sure it will work?" Deva Pein asked as he walked up yet another flight of stairs.

"I am positive. My informants in Konoha have already taken care of it." Madara responded while walking next to him. "He will be there within a few days. In fact, I believe they are leaving this morning" He handed him a folded map with a small circle on it. It was a map over Grass Country.

Madara watched the pierced corpse of Yahiko that Nagato was manipulating from places unknown. He wondered how Nagato could use his dead friend like this.

Madara knew of Yahiko and how he spent his whole life trying to find piece through non-violent means and now, after his death, Nagato used his body more than any other to cause chaos and misery towards his enemies. He used him most to kill those that stood in his way.

Both nins reached the top of the staircase which led into a hallway. Pein's destination was to the right and Madara's to the left.

"Thank you, Madara-san," Pein added while stopping to face the masked man. He looked down at the map and began to quickly study it, "If he is scheduled to be there then I only have a day to prepare and leave." He quickly folded up the map and placed it in an inside pocket of his cloak.

"What are you planning to do?" Madara asked.

"I will need to speak with him immediately to see which side he is on." Pein said as he turned away. "I ask that you keep an eye on Akatsuki while I'm away."

"Of course, Pein-san." Madara replied back. "I will be back tonight to see you off and to resume control."

"Where are you going?" Pein asked while turning back around.

"I need to recruit another member to Akatsuki."

"He must be quite talented in order for you to pursue him yourself."

"He is. I know because he was trained by Momochi Zabuza from the Hidden Mist."

"I've heard of him. I believe he is dead now, right?"

"Yes, by none other than the Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi."

Pein considered both nins silently and began to compare them mentally. "Doesn't surprise me," Pein said before turning away again. He had other things to do other than to chit-chat amongst others.

"Before you go, may I ask one thing?"

Pein stopped but did not turn to face him.

"What will you get out of this?" Madara was always the curious one.

"Peace," was Pein's only answer. Although it didn't literally mean world peace, Madara knew enough about him to know that it meant inner peace. It meant that he could look out onto the Rain Village and know what he was doing was right.

The man with the spiral mask nodded in approval as he watched his pawn go off to fulfill his own agenda. _'I don't know if this was a good idea for him to meet the boy already but Pein isn't willing to do anything else at the moment. Although,' _He considered_, 'this has been eating him up on the inside for the last three years.'_

The Akatsuki nin shrugged it off before he too left. He promised that he would look after Rain Village for the next week, but he also had another plan he still needed to carry out. He needed to find someone. _'I need to find this boy quickly before Hidden Mist does. I need to find Haku…'_

Pein, on the other hand, thought his request was a brilliant idea, but of course he knew what he was doing. He had only a day to plan out what exactly he would say and which bodies he would bring to confront the boy he heard of long ago, the boy with the same eyes as him. _'The eyes that is said to bring change…but who is the one who is supposed to bring it? Who was meant to bring peace to this world?'_

As Pein walked away from Madara, he mentally noted to have a small chat with Konan. Because he planned to have three of his bodies meet the boy from so far away from where he was, they wouldn't be as strong and the signal his real body sent out to control them would be slightly delayed. He would need Konan there to make sure nothing happened.

The Akatsuki nin traveled for several more minutes up a flight of stairs and down a few hallways before he reached the room he needed to be in and opened the door. Inside was the woman he needed to speak to staring out of a circular hole in the side of the room. It was a magnificent view of most of the Rain Village. She seemed as if she couldn't take her eyes off of it. The sound of the rain was soothing to her.

"Konan," Deva Pein said as he walked up to her, "I need to speak with you about something."

She turned to face him, "What do you need?" Her expression was usually calm.

"I will be sending a few of my bodies to meet with someone. I need you to be there with them to make sure everything goes smoothly."

She nodded in understanding, "Who are you meeting?" She believed to be someone of grave importance for him to be sending three bodies or it had to be of someone who was a threat to their cause if he was sending three bodies. The number three was tricky.

"I am meeting the boy who also has the Rinnegan."

She looked at him with a little anger in her eyes but she held her temper, "Pein, we need to focus on the Rain village right now. We are too close to Hanzou for you to be meeting him. He will distract you from our goals."

Nagato had already made up his mind and was unwilling to let her influence him. "Will you go or not?"

She sighed and agreed. She would make sure that Pein didn't kill the boy or expose himself to the outside world. _'I hope this kid is worth looking for right now.'_

"So where are we going?"

Pein looked out over his city to admire its beauty and to see if he could "feel" any trespassers with the ever present rain.

"We are heading to Grass Country."

/Break/

The Third Hokage was already having a rough morning when he was called in to the council chambers. The sudden meeting, he assumed, must have been important enough to have called him away from his office.

'_I wonder what this is about.' _He thought to himself as he made his way down the hall. _'I don't recall anything happening lately…'_

He found the main staircase and descended one flight of stairs before turning down another hallway. The closer he was to the room, the more curious he was about the whole ordeal.

Eventually he arrived before the door and reached out slowly for the handle, but before he grabbed it, he paused. He could hear faint voices on the other side. _'Strange,'_ he pressed his ears to the door, _'are they yelling at each other in there?'_

He listened closely for a few minutes before he decided that he couldn't really understand what they were saying, only that he could hear them.

So, before opening the door, he sighed heavily and straightened up his coat. _'I'd bet on anything this is over Naruto.'_

When he entered, silence greeted him as the elder council, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, along with Danzou, stopped talking and stood where they were while staring at the Third.

"Welcome, Sarutobi-sama," Greeted Homura as she motioned for him to enter.

"We are glad you could join us." Koharu said. "We need your help with a certain matter."

Sarutobi glanced at his two advisors and then to Danzou. _'Strange, I've never seen them discuss anything while standing up.'_

"I'm assuming it's important enough to draw me away from my office?"

Before Homura or Koharu could speak, Danzou brought his hand up to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat, "We are here to discuss a small matter concerning Namikaze Naruto."

"When it comes to Naruto, nothing is a small matter," Sarutobi sighed as he quickly motioned the others to sit in their respective spots so that he wasn't the only one to be sitting. "Now tell me, what is so important about Naruto that you must have me present here?"

"Well Hokage-sama," Koharu said first, "Danzou has suggested that we let Naruto and his team on a C-rank mission."

"And…" The Third's curiosity was beginning to fade.

"And what?" Homura said, "That's it."

"I don't see how this can be a problem, after all, he is a fully fledged member of Hidden Leaf. However, this cannot be our decision to make. This matter, I believe, is left to Kakashi. He will decide if Naruto will go on a C-rank mission. "

Danzou hid a smirk as he closed his eyes and leaned back. He knew he had won the argument without even trying. _'Naruto needs at least one completed C-rank mission before he can attempt to take the Chuunin exam.'_

"But Hokage-sama, you know as well as everyone else that if Naruto leaves the village then he will become a potential target, especially since everyone seems to know about him being what he is." Homura pleaded, "He needs to be protected from harm until he is needed."

"As his caretaker-"

"You forget," Homura said quickly, "that you are no longer his caretaker. You may no longer control what he does."

"That's right," Koharu added quickly, "you lost that privilege when Naruto became a Genin." Koharu had sided Homura.

"True, but I am still protecting him with Root."

"Yes, and you will continue to do so until he becomes strong enough to take care of himself."

"That is not what he needs," Danzou smirked, "He needs experience or else he will perform poorly when his time has come. I don't believe that protecting him his entire life will make him stronger."

Sarutobi sat back in shock as he continued to listen to both sides as they argued. _'Is this how they really viewed Naruto? As a tool to be sharpened and thrown, then to be casted aside until needed again?'_

The Third listened for only a few more minutes before he had heard enough of their reasons. He hated the _'trump card'_ excuse Homura and Koharu were trying to use and, although Danzou has the right idea, he hated his motives of _'testing his performance'_.

"Enough!" Sarutobi stood tall while the others remained seated. "Naruto is not just the Legacy of the Fourth, the possessor of the Rinnegan, or just a Jinchuuriki," he spoke loudly and slowly, "He is a member of the Hidden leaf. He is a shinobi who will one day carry the Will of Fire and grow up to protect this very village! I will not tolerate this lack of faith you have in Naruto."

Memories of the First and Second Hokage began to flood his mind. He could recall his sensei telling him he had faith in him. They believed with their entire being that he would surpass them and carry on with the Will of Fire. Every day he made sure to carry the Will of Fire proudly and to pass it down to the younger generation when they needed it.

"Naruto shall receive a C-rank mission when Kakashi says they are ready and when Naruto leaves the village, we shall have faith that he will do what is best for his team and for the Leaf Village. I know nothing will happen because I believe in him."

The Third turned and left the room. He was too ashamed of his council to even look at them any further. When he left the room he realized something of grave importance and that was that he was in control. _'I've never done that before.' _He thought to himself. _'I'm going to have to put my foot down more often.' _

Meanwhile, Danzou hid a smirk as he too, calmly stood up and left the two stunned council members behind. _'I don't care what reason Sarutobi has for letting Naruto on a mission, but I suppose it doesn't matter as long as Naruto gets to go.'_

He was in the hallway when his left hand reached up to touch the bandage over his right eye. _'I thought for a moment there I was going to have to resort to using this._' He thought fondly of his hidden Sharingan for that eye had helped him greatly over the years. _'But it probably wouldn't have worked on Sarutobi anyway. His mind is too strong.'_

/Break/

It had been two weeks since he joined team 7 and he was already beginning to wonder why this was necessary. _'I'm much better off just being on my own. These two are slowing me down.' _Naruto sighed again as he continued painting his side of the fence in an alleyway.

He glanced over to where Sasuke and Sakura where. They had positioned themselves far away from him by starting at the opposite end. _'It seems that no matter what I do I can't help but piss them off. I guess as long as we make it to the Chuunin exams, we'll be okay. After that I'll never have to see them again.'_

The blonde looked back at his own work and continued. He wanted nothing more than to be lost in today's work.

Meanwhile, Kakashi leaned against the building on the opposite side of the alley while reading a book. What worried him most was that he wasn't actually reading it but instead he was thinking of his pupils. He couldn't help but wonder what was troubling them so much that they would act this way.

'_Naruto seems to be so distant. He's right next to us but he still feels so far away. Whatever happened to that boy that Gai and I saved several years ago? He seems so different than what he used to be.' _Kakashi had no idea what to think on the situation. The only thing he knew was that this was his sensei's son. _'Shouldn't I be closer to him? Would Minato be proud of me? Of Naruto?'_

The copy nin figured that he would talk to the boy later once he knew what to say or do._ 'Maybe I should speak to the Hokage about this. He'll know what to do.' _One of the many things he respected about the old Hokage was his wisdom.

'_And what to do with Sasuke and Sakura…'_ He continued to dwell over the topics while he watched his team. _'They need to forgive Naruto for replacing their lost comrade and accept him if they ever have a shot at becoming chuunin, but I do understand that it will take time for Naruto to replace….'_

"Alright, we're done." Sasuke said as he finished the last stokes. "Now what?"

Kakashi left his thoughts as he came back to reality and noticed that the fence was indeed finished. He then looked up to see that the sun was still rising from the east. "It's still late morning. I figured we can have one more mission and we'll call it a day."

His team nodded and began putting the paint away as the owner of the fence came into the alley. "Excellent!" He said loudly, "Thank you so much for your help!"

Team seven only waved in appreciation before they all made their way to the Hokage's tower.

Several minutes past and they now stood before the door to a massive room on the lower section of tower. Kakashi raised his hands and proceeded to knock on the door.

"Enter."

They walked in and stood before several tables that formed a semi circle. There were two shinobi at each table. The Hokage and Iruka sat at the center. The far left table was where the employer would pay when the mission was complete and the far right table was where mission request were retrieved, looked at, and ranked. Eventually it made its way to the Hokage's table where he would assign a team to complete them. It was a cycle that led from right to left.

"Ah, Kakashi, I see you've finished you're mission." He smiled as he reached out and took the mission report from the copy nin. He stole a quick glance to the far left of the room to see the citizen who had requested the mission paying for their services at the end table.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Impressive to have completed it so fast, I thought it would take you at least another half hour. In any case, I assume you are here for another mission."

Kakashi nodded while his students remained quiet. Nobody felt like talking and the tension between the students was apparent.

"I have several options for you Kakashi but it's up to you."

The copy-nin raised an eyebrow. He decided to remain quite as to let the Hokage explain further.

"If you deem your team worthy enough, I will assign a C-rank mission that I think should be suited for you. If not, I will assign another D-rank."

Kakashi turned to his team as if asking them what they wanted. He immediately saw eagerness in their eyes. _'I don't know,'_ He thought solemnly, _'their teamwork is horrible, but maybe they'll learn while on the mission.' _His thoughts were optimistic.

He faced the Hokage and said, "I think they're ready."

"Alright then, Team 7 will be assigned their second C-rank mission."

"What's the mission, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked politely.

"There have been rumors that a small, rebellious group is beginning to form within Grass Country. However, to keep from being discovered, they seem to be hiding within Fire Country as a means of staying hidden. Hidden Grass has asked that we search our country and eliminate this group before it becomes a danger to their village."

"This doesn't sound like a C-rank mission."

"This group is still new and, from reports they have provided us, not very active yet."

"They don't seem like they can harm a Hidden Village, why do they need to be destroyed now?" Sasuke asked. He didn't seem to understand the need to kill lowly thugs.

"This new group isn't targeting Hidden Grass directly, but rather the small villages inside Grass Country that hire Hidden Grass for their employment. Destroying them would essentially harm their Hidden Village."

Kakashi nodded in understanding but something was still puzzling him but he would come back and ask the Hokage when he dismissed his students.

"Do we know where they might be?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes," The old Hokage took out a small map that was attached to the mission request. "Hidden Grass has suggested you start your search here."

Kakashi took the map and found several small circles around the border between Fire and Grass country. He had been to most of these places. _'They're small towns.'_

"There seems to be a small town on the border. Hidden Grass suggests that you do some research there before moving on. Also, they will be providing one of their own shinobi to make sure the mission is successful."

The Jounin nodded to himself as folded the map and placed it in his jacket pocket. "They want to make sure we actually do the job."

"I have a question," Sakura said as looked at the Hokage, "Why doesn't Hidden Grass take care of this problem."

"Because of politics I suppose," Sarutobi said with a small laugh, "But it also has very much to do with our peace treaty. Something as low as a civilian threat is something that must be handled by the Country that they are in, but because the group has yet to do anything severe, Grass has no authority to chase after them. Besides, this group of rebels is located here in Fire Country and it is our problem."

Sasuke smirked when he began placing the pieces together, "So this group isn't a major threat so Grass is helpless when it comes to chasing them down in other countries?"

"Correct." Sarutobi said as he gave a scroll containing more of the mission details to Kakashi. "That is why this is more like a request from Grass and not really a mission. There will be no outside payment from Grass because it stems from a peace treaty, but the village will reimburse you for your trouble."

Kakashi visibly relaxed because, like everyone else, he had bills to pay. _'It's good that we are living up to our part of the treaty but it's even better we are being paid.'_

"So when do we leave?" Naruto spoke for the first time that day.

"You will leave first thing in the morning from the northern gate."

Kakashi nodded and dismissed his team. He chose to stay behind.

"You said that this mission was suited for me and my team."

The Hokage nodded back, "It is but I can't discuss this now. I can tell you more about it later when I have the time."

The copy-nin understood and left. He knew that the Hokage was still working and still needed to hand out more missions. _'I suppose I'll talk to him later on tonight about it.'_

/Break/

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Naruto asked with uncertainty as he walked onto the training field. "You do know we have to meet up with Kakashi-sensei tomorrow morning, right?"

Sasuke smirked while his hand slowly reached for his shurikens, "I've been waiting to fight you since you joined our team, Naruto. Something like a stupid C-rank mission won't stop me."

The blonde paused as he thought back through the last two weeks. He recalled the awkwardness of it all as every day seemed to have established its own problems. It wasn't awkward because of the always present tension between him and his teammates, but because of the constant tension between him and Sasuke over the leadership of the team. It seemed that every little D-rank mission they went on seemed to have an unspoken difficulty. Everything was over dramatized to the point where nothing could be done without some small bickering or threats of violence.

The reason for all the unneeded stress was simple, there was no established leadership, no chain of command, but most importantly, there was no respect among them. Both Sasuke and Naruto were natural leaders and both constantly clashed against each other.

"What will this prove?" The blonde asked as he stood in his casual stance. It wasn't that the blonde did not want to fight him, because he was always for a fight, but it was because he had strict orders from Danzou to become a chuunin and to leave Team 7 alone. This was all supposed to be temporary for him. His agenda did not include making friends and caring for others or becoming the team leader. _'Although I should just put him in his place…'_

"Are you backing out now?" Sasuke seemed disappointed in Naruto's actions. "I thought the great son of the Fourth Hokage would be up for a fight. I guess greatness skipped a generation."

The blonde wanted badly to respond back but he kept his tongue in place. He would not give into a taunt from an opponent. He was better than that.

Sasuke noticed that Naruto wouldn't say anything so he made the initiative to fight by throwing several shuriken that he had quickly withdrawn from his back pouch.

Naruto watched the seven shuriken fly towards him with his blue eyes and effortlessly dodged them. "I guess you won't take no for an answer." He said while giving a small sigh. "I guess this is something that cannot be avoided. Besides, I've been dying to put you in your place."

Sasuke smiled devilishly as he began to calculate his next move_. 'I know next to nothing about the Rinnegan.'_ He thought, _'I guess I'll figure it out as I go.'_

Naruto stood his ground and had yet to activate his Rinnegan. He honestly thought he wouldn't need it although he realized he might after seeing Sasuke's eyes change into the Sharingan.

With him being confined in Root he knew very little about the Sharingan. It was something they just did not cover in his lessons. _'Why is there a different number of tomoes in each eye? One in one eye and two in the other.'_

"Alright Naruto, let's see if you are as strong as people say you are."

Naruto stood his ground and decided the best way to knock Sasuke down a peg or two was to not only beat him, but to humiliate him as well. So with that as his thought, he activated his Rinnegan and relaxed back into a casual stance.

Sasuke was taken back a little when he first saw them. He had no idea what they looked like but he wasn't at all impressed with the design. _'A small dot in the center with grey ripples around it,'_ he thought, _'I would of hoped for something a little more grand considering these are the eyes of the legendary Rinnegan.'_

The Uchiha took the initiative and threw a few Kunai and much to his dismay, Naruto dodged them effortlessly by taking a few simple steps. _'I wonder what those eyes can do.'_

Naruto made a small goal that he would only use two of his techniques and wait for Sasuke to tire himself out. It was the only way he could cause total humiliation.

He held out his hands towards Sasuke and gave a small smile. "Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)"

/Break/

Kakashi walked into the office of his Hokage where he saw the old man sitting all alone at his desk. It was late in the night but curiosity made him show. He was still late but he showed nonetheless.

"Ah, Kakashi," Sarutobi said as he watched the nin enter into his office. "I'm glad you could make it. I was hoping I could get a chance to talk to you before you left tomorrow."

Kakashi said nothing as he walked to the center of the room while still looking at his Hokage. Then, he looked over to his right so he could view outside the window. "I suppose there is more to my mission than you wanted to tell me."

The old man nodded. "It seems that we also have news that there might be another person with the Sharingan."

Kakashi's head snapped back into attention, "What?"

"Yes, it appears that another Uchiha has resurfaced. However, most rumors point towards it being a transplant similar to yours."

"But how? All the Uchiha are dead except Itachi and Sasuke. Are you saying someone took Itachi's eye?"

"I doubt someone could steal one of Itachi's eyes, Kakashi. Still, from what I heard, this man has had the Sharingan for as long as you and received his in Grass Country."

"You don't think?"

"Obito? Maybe but all signs point to Grass Country."

"Hmm…I'm guessing you want me to check out these rumors." Kakashi was beginning to feel sick. He was hoping that these were just rumors and not actual facts. Still, he would look into it and if he had to, kill anyone who had his dead friend's other eye.

"Correct, when you are on your mission tomorrow, I would like you to do this as well if you can."

"But why me?"

"Because if you run across this man then you are the best suited to handle him."

/Break/

Bruises and scratches covered his body. His hair was covered in dirt with small fragments of twigs and leaves. He was an utter mess. Sasuke had definitely had seen better days.

He was on his hands and knees gasping for air. Not only did he reach his limit, but he also ran out of techniques and jutsus to use. _'How…how is this possible?' _He thought angrily, _'No matter what I use, nothing gets through his defense.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto stood patiently a few meters away looking down at Sasuke. He didn't know what to say but he was ready to leave.

"This fight is over." Naruto stated simply as he turned to walk away.

Sasuke glanced up to see Naruto leaving him alone in the woods, defeated. What made him angry was the fact that Naruto didn't receive any bruises or scratches from the fight, and he was positive that not one speck of dirt even touched him. _'How…how could he be so strong?'_

"NARUTO!" He yelled out as he threw one last kunai in hopes of just scratching him, leaving some kind of mark, some kind of sign that he wasn't a total failure.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgement)"

An invisible pulse repelled the kunai away from the blond as he turned to face his opponent. "I never thought the Uchiha's were so weak. No wonder it only took one person to take out the entire clan."

Sasuke screamed back as he tried to stand back up to charge him, but his legs gave out beneath him and he was sent back to his knees. Tears began to hit the ground as anger welled up in his eyes. His Sharingan was piercing a hole in the ground. _'How is he so far ahead of me?' _His hands clenched the dirt beneath him. He would not give up.

His entire mind tried desperately to find a weakness in Naruto's defense as he replayed the fight over and over. _'Nothing…no there has to be something.' _His mind raced as he tried to find out the secrets to Naruto's techniques. _'He only used two and he still beat me!'_

"We have a mission tomorrow Sasuke. I expect to see there." Naruto ignored the pitiful sight that was Sasuke and left to go home. He only had a few hours left till complete darkness and he still needed to stop off and inform Danzou of today's events.

Meanwhile, Sasuke stayed where he was for several more minutes. His pride and confidence was gone and was replaced by anger and revenge. He wanted nothing more now than to beat him. _'If I can beat him, then I'll be ready for Itachi.'_

/Break/

It was early when Team 7 met inside the northern gates of Konoha. The last to arrive was Team 7's sensei but not by much. He was on time which frightened his students to a slight degree.

The Jounin looked at his three students quickly but only Naruto caught his attention. It was the fact that he was wearing different clothing. _'Hm, a white, long-sleeve shirt with black Cargo pants, interesting choice.'_ With closer observation he noted the wrist and ankle wrappings were still present but the small, metal plates along his forearm that overlapped his long sleeve shirt was a new addition. It reminded him of what he wore as a kid, back when the Fourth Hokage was his sensei.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" He asked his team. He looked around and saw that they all nodded. "Before we go I would like you to put these on." Over his forearm he had four travel cloaks that were standard to Konoha. He began to pass them out.

"Why are we wearing these?" Sakura asked.

"Because," He said with a small sigh, "we are gathering information in a civilian village. We don't need to stand out anymore than we already do."

She nodded and put on her cloak while the others did the same.

"These cloaks should help conceal our presence, or at least the nature of it."

Naruto immediately recognized the cloaks because he had seen many Anbu, Root, and traveling Nin wearing something similar to what he was handed. However, the ones he was wearing was a different color. They where tan with two small, parallel red stripe a few inches from the bottom. It was the standard design of the hidden leaf.

"Our first destination is a few days travel. I suggest we leave soon." Kakashi spoke lazily when he finished placing his cloak and backpack on. "Go ahead and take the lead." He looked at his genins, wondering if they would decide the formation they would take on their own.

The genins looked at each other in confusion. They weren't used to traveling outside the village much and they didn't know who should lead, until Sasuke put his head down in defeat.

'_Well this is surprising…wait a minute.'_ Kakashi took a closer look at Sasuke and saw a few bruise marks and scratches around his neck. He could only assume they covered the rest of his body as well_. 'Did he and Naruto….?'_

Kakashi sighed heavily. He should have seen this coming but when Naruto took the lead, he was surprised Sasuke followed. Still, he could feel hatred pouring out from the Uchiha. He could feel the darkness dwelling within him.

"Sasuke," Sakura said innocently, "Why is Naruto leading?"

The Uchiha stood there looking at the ground. He didn't know what to say.

"It's because I'm better than him." Naruto said while turning around. "Now come on, I don't have all day."

Sasuke gritted his teeth in defiance and was about to charge the blonde but a hand firmly landed on his shoulder. It was Kakashi. He didn't say anything but he didn't need to. It was all it took to calm him down.

Sakura nearly gasped at the thought of someone beating the number one rookie. She quickly glanced over towards her raven haired teammate. _'Sasuke possess the Sharingan,'_ she thought, _'What kind of power does this Rinnegan have if it was able to beat an Uchiha? What does it even look like?'_ She turned to see Naruto walking ahead by himself. It was the first time she sensed power and confidence radiating from him.

Naruto was a dozen yards of ahead of the group when he stopped to see if the others were following him. "Come on now," he said, "We need to meet up with the Grass Nin."

"Are you seriously going to follow him Sasuke?" Sakura asked in disbelief. When Sasuke didn't answer, she continued, "How did you-"

"Shut up, Sakura." Sasuke looked down at the ground as he moved forward. He walked slowly with his hands on the straps of his backpack. He was no longer in charge.

'_I don't believe this! How could…how could this replacement take over the group?'_ Her mind was racing through several possibilities. "Kakashi-sensei," She turned to face her teacher, "Do something! He's taking over our team!"

Kakashi sighed again before his lazy eye caught hers, "I'm sorry Sakura but Sasuke seems to have given up his position."

The Uchiha heard the remark and froze, but only for a second. He continued forward until he was only a few feet from the Namikaze. He turned to face Sakura and Kakashi who had yet to move. "Come on Sakura." His voice was strangely quiet and soft.

The kinouchi saw a small tear slide down Sasuke's face. _'Is he crying?'_ she thought, _'No, this is something else.'_ It took a moment but she finally was able to recognize it. It was his pride slowly leaving him.

Kakashi and Sakura moved up quickly and were now in formation. Naruto was leading, followed by Sasuke and Sakura and at the rear was Kakashi.

The Jounin liked this formation because he was able to keep an eye out on his students._ 'This switch in authority will not end well.'_

The gates of Konoha opened before them. After the gate guard wished them luck on their mission, they immediately set off.

/Break/

The mighty toad sage Jiraiya walked calmly through the entrance of the western gate. It was early but he didn't mind. After all, he had received a message from Danzou requesting that he see him.

Usually he would ignore such request but because Danzou controlled his godson, he felt necessary to see what the old man wanted.

Sure enough, when he passed the gates and entered Konoha, he saw Danzou standing in the middle of the street waiting for him. _'How did he know when I would arrive?'_

"Jiraiya," Danzou greeted, "A pleasure you could find the time to come back to Konoha." Danzou tried to smile but he soon found that it would be pointless and gave up trying.

"Danzou-sama," He greeted back in respect. "May I ask why you summoned me back?" Jiraiya had caught up to Danzou and they both were now turning around to walk down the main street.

"Straight to business I see. Well, let's discuss this over breakfast. It's still quite early."

The Sanin mentally sighed and new that it would take a while before he figured out what was going on.

"So where is Naruto?" The Sage asked out of curiosity.

"He left this morning on a C-rank mission and will not be back for a week or so."

"Oh, I see."

"This seems like a good place." Danzou made his way slowly into a small restaurant and choose a small booth in the back. He sat down comfortably and set his cane on the side of his seat.

Jiraiya followed him without objection and chose the seat across from him. After both had settled comfortably and ordered their drinks, Danzou looked at the legendary Sanin and said, "I guess it's about time."

'_Finally,'_ Jiraiya thought as he sipped on his drink.

"I called you back to Konoha so that you could train Naruto." He stated simply.

Jiraiya looked at him funny, "He must be a pain if you're trying to dump him onto me."

"You misunderstand, Jiraiya. I want you to train him to use the…seal." The last word didn't make sense but he knew that they both understood what he really meant to say.

"So you want me to teach him about his seal and how to use…it?" Although when Danzou said to use the seal, he mentally laughed but now he couldn't help but say it too. They both had to be careful not to break the law the Third had placed on the entire village.

"Correct." The old war hawk said as he reached for his drink.

"I'm guessing there's something you're not telling me." He said boldly.

"Yes there is because I'm not going to hand over something without gaining anything in return. I want to make a deal"

"Deal? What deal?"

/Break/

It was a mid afternoon and Haku was helping out around the small community he had found and stayed in. He chose to leave the shinobi world behind when his sensei died and knew that going into hiding would be the best choice.

Haku entered his small room that was the second floor of a small herbal shop. He chose to work and live there because he already had knowledge in the field. He was in the middle of making his small bed when he felt someone was watching him.

"Ah, excuse me sir," A squeaky voice came from the window, "But I'm looking for a shinobi named Haku."

The young boy turned to face the man sitting on his window sill. He didn't recognize the man but he knew he was in trouble. _'I didn't even sense him. When did he get here?'_ His mind was racing. _'How does he know me?'_

Haku was already at the defensive and withdrew several hidden senbon and threw them at the trespasser.

The man sitting on the windowsill dove forward to dodge the incoming senbon. When he hit the ground he stood up and starting running around the small room while dodging the never ending senbon.

"Please stop! Tobi is a good boy!"

**A/N**: I hope you liked it. I didn't particularly find it interesting but it had to be typed.

A small note: Danzou is not in league with Akatsuki. When he suggested Naruto go on a C-rank mission it was a week before Sarutobi suggested it to Kakashi and his team. Madara acted on this knowing that he had to get a mission to Kakashi specifically if he wanted to lure Naruto out. Just putting that out there.

Also, next chapter is the mission and the chapter after that is training and part of the chuunin exam. If you want to know why I gave Naruto a new outfit was because I realized it was too close to Sasuke's. The color was the same. Another thing is that I will be giving Naruto a new outfit again in two chapters. You can see an early version of it in my profile. It's the picture I have as my avatar.

A few clarifications. Last chapter Sakura slapped Naruto and a few people said Naruto should have slapped her back. Why? Naruto is better than them and has been trained by Root to not show emotion.

I have decided on a pairing. Naruto will be with Temari later on.

Thanks for reading and please review.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**A/N**: First I would like to thank all those who reviewed.

Chapter 5: Confrontation

Haku held his senbon at the ready as he studied the strange man, who was now running around his small room franticly. He was surprised with the man's reaction and could honestly admit he didn't know how to handle him. Needless to say he was expecting a fight.

'_Maybe this is part of his tactics?'_ Even his thoughts were doubtful as he watched the masked man flail his arms around like crazy lunatic and even trip a few times while wailing like a child. It was a strange sight indeed but he couldn't help but cringe when the masked man kept knocking things over and bump into things.

What made it worse was that Haku had stopped his barrage of senbon about half a minute ago. _'Does he know that I'm not attacking him?'_

The masked Nin suddenly stopped and placed his hands on his knees as he bent over to inhale deeply. He was visibly relaxed as he took in a few more loud gasps of air through his mask. "Ah, Haku-san, why did you attack me?" he said between gasps of air.

Haku raised an eyebrow at the man. _'How does he know my name?'_ He stared hard the man before he asked him a question of his own, "Who are you?"

"I'm Tobi!" He pointed at his chest as he puffed it out proudly, "A courageous member of Akatsuki!" He turned his back to the boy as he walked over to take a seat on the window sill again to rest.

"Akatsuki?" He asked in disbelief, "I've never heard of such a group. Does Akatsuki even exist?"

"I assure you we do!" His voice was at an annoyingly high pitch, "See!" He gestured at his robe, "We get a cool robe and a ring!" Then his voice began to falter, "They haven't given me a ring yet…but I did get my nails painted purple!" He showed him his nails with glee as he took one of his black gloves off to reveal his oddly colored painted nails. "Cool right?"

Haku heard footsteps from below. He knew it belonged to the old lady who ran the store on the first floor where he worked. _'She's coming up here,'_ He quickly surveyed the room and found senbon needles everywhere. _'She must have heard us.'_

Tobi could sense the distraction and decided to press forward, "We are looking for members if you're interested."

Haku needed to clean his room before the old lady, who was letting him stay, walked up the stairs and came to his room to see what had happened, "I don't even know what your club does. Why would I join it?" He felt no danger towards the man and so he turned to tidy up the mess the stranger had made when he had flailed about.

Tobi almost wanted to laugh at himself for forgetting to mention what their goals were. "We are out to save the world! We found away to bring peace to the shinobi world!"

Haku was in the middle of picking up another senbon when he froze. His memories drifted back to his old sensei, Zabuza, and how he talked of taking over Kiri in hopes of bringing the horrible reign of the Fourth Mizukage to an end. Then, as quickly as his memories came, they disappeared.

"I was going to offer this to Zabuza-san but I got to him a little too late."

The ice-nin froze in place as he narrowed his eyes when he had heard Tobi. _'This guy knows way too much.' _

"Surprised?" Tobi's childish manner was now gone. "I know a lot about you Haku-san. I know deep down inside you want to return to the shinobi world. Quit hiding out here and come with me. At least in Akatsuki you would be saving the world. It would be for a noble cause. It would give you purpose."

Haku was lost in thought as his eyes pierced through Tobi and out the window. Sure he loved his free time picking flowers and herbs for the small town, but he missed the feeling of ice between his fingers or the hours of training. He spent his whole shinobi career being a tool to Zabuza, but when he died, he told him to find his own life. He told him to be free.

'_What was I meant for? What is my purpose in life?'_ He truly didn't know, but something was telling him that he wouldn't find it here. He needed to leave this village. Sure it was a nice place and the villagers where great, but he was still missing something...was it a sense of fulfillment? He needed a reason to live. Besides, he spent his whole life hiding and look where it got him.

"Look, you don't have to say anything yet, but at least met our leader. He can shed more light on the subject." Tobi held his hand out, wanting Haku to take it.

/Break/

Seconds later an old woman finished walking up the flight of stairs and stood before the door that led to her tenant's room. She knocked loudly and called out the young boy's name but, when she received no reply, she entered his room cautiously.

"I heard noises up here," she spoke gently; "I hope you're okay."

A small smile crept onto her face as she noticed the room was empty except for the furniture. _'So he finally left. I always told him he was too good of a kid to stay with us old folks.'_ She was about to shut the door when she noticed a small note on a dresser over to the opposite side of the room. Slowly she made her way over and carefully picked up the note.

A small sigh of relief came over her as she read the note. _'I always knew he was made for better things. I'm glad he left this small town while he could.'_

When she finished, she noticed some instructions at the bottom. Following them she opened the far, top left drawer on the dresser. She smiled at first when she saw a beautiful flower lying at the bottom of the drawer made from ice, but it wasn't alone. Next to it was a bag.

She slowly reached for it and picked it up. She immediately knew what was in the bag just by the feel.

"You were always too nice kid." She said to herself. Her voice was kind and sad as she reminisce about the last few months with him here.

Inside the bag was all the money he had made while working there.

/Break/

Pain was waiting impatiently. His eyes were narrow and his fist clenched. He was hoping to have left half an hour ago but he couldn't, because Madara had yet to show up. He didn't want to leave without someone to watch over his village. He was too afraid Hanzou might make a move without him being here. _'I'm so close to finding you Hanzou!' _he thought to himself_, 'But the boy from Konoha comes first.'_

"Relax Pain," Konan said. She had been motionless for the last few minutes as she stood beside him. "He'll be here."

Deva Pain gave his reply with silence. He knew all too well that Madara would show he just didn't know when.

"Sorry I'm late," Madara said as he slowly entered the open hole on the side of the building, "But our newest member was worth the trouble."

"Really now? Why is that?" There was an obvious hint of anger in Pein's voice.

"Because, he hails from a very powerful clan from Mist, but he's not the only one. I plan on chasing after another survivor of the genocide when the time comes." He said as he walked past Pein, _'but Orochimaru got to him first! That snake is always trying to get in my way!'_

"So where is the-" He cut himself off when he felt a strange presence from his Ukojizai no Jutsu (Fierce Raining at Will Technique). "So you let the kid wonder free?"

"I'll look after him until you get back. Don't worry," He said, "you and I both know I can handle the kid."

Pein was beyond mad as he glared at the man. Madara was late and now he let a very powerful kid wonder around in his village that was still at war with itself. "I'll deal with all this when I get back. For now, I need to start moving out."

The wall behind him opened up revealing the other two members of Pein that would be going with Deva and Konan. They were Human and Animal realm.

"Interesting choice, I'm guessing you are taking the boy seriously." Madara said as he turned to face the four shinobi in front of him. _'Four shinobi for one small kid?' _He asked himself_, 'I suppose I can't say anything but still, taking Human and Animal realm with him?'_ Madara shrugged at his own thoughts and gave a final salute as Deva, Human, and Animal realm leapt from the tower and sped off into the distance followed closely by Konan.

Madara stood alone in the tower as he watched them disappear towards the village wall. They were heading to Grass country. _'Now to go find Haku. Maybe I should give him a tour?' _

"Ah Zetsu-san." A plant-like man emerged from the floor behind him, "What are you doing here?"

"I have news for Pein. It's about Hanzou."

"I'm sorry but you missed him. He's off to fight that boy from Konoha. Naruto I believe his name is. Could you do me a favor and record that fight. I want to see what this kid looks like"

The plant-like man nodded before submerging back into the ground.

/Break/

Naruto had pushed his team hard as they continued to travel, even with the sun dangerously close to setting.

"Naruto-kun," Kakashi voiced up from behind his book, "I recommend stopping for tonight."

"But the sun is still up." Naruto replied as he continued onward. He didn't even look back.

"True, but not for much longer," Kakashi stated, "We will still need to see when setting up camp." Kakashi had already stopped and began unpacking. He knew that if he started to do it, then so would Sasuke and Sakura, who wouldn't otherwise.

Naruto turned and glared at Kakashi for only a second before he realized that there was much truth, and perhaps wisdom, in his sensei's words. Perhaps he had been pushing them too hard today. He knew why, he just didn't want to admit it to himself. It was because he just wanted the mission to be over with. He just wanted this nightmare of a "team" to go away while he silently crawled back to the shadows of ROOT.

"You're right sensei," Naruto said with a heavy sigh, "We'll stop here for the night." He took off his backpack quickly and swung it to his front. He bent down to one knee and began unpacking his sleeping bag along with other things.

No one could see if Kakashi was smiling or not but they knew he was happy from his one visible eye.

"I guess I'll have first watch then." Naruto spoke quietly while unrolling and setting up his things.

The other two genin looked at him oddly before shrugging.

"We'll decide that later," Kakashi added quickly while looking up at the sun, "but now we need to collect firewood before the sun completely sets." He then turned to his team, "Sasuke, Naruto, I need you two to collect fire wood. Sakura, you and I will fill the canteens and gather some food."

Sakura's eyes lit up, "Oh yea," she became excited, "I remember there being a river nearby from the map we received."

Kakashi reached into his vest pocket and produced said map. "Alright Sakura, let's go find it."

Sakura was handed the map before she realized what was happening. _'Oh man, I won't be with Sasuke and knowing Kakashi-sensei, he won't help me at all with the map. He'll just read his damn book.'_

Sasuke and Sakura knew Kakashi and how he taught. They figured out that he was more or less a show and ditch kind of teacher, meaning he showed them what they needed to do and then ditch, leaving them to figure out how he did it.

Meanwhile, Naruto just looked at Sasuke with dread. _'He better not say anything,' _he thought to himself before he and Sasuke left wordlessly into the woods while Kakashi and Sakura left to find the river. They didn't travel far from the campsite but during that time not a word was spoken. It seemed that Sasuke had no intentions on starting a verbal fight.

'_I guess I must have finally gotten through to him,'_ Naruto thought at first when they initially began on their task, but as their search for firewood continued, he could feel the hatred and anguish radiating from the Uchiha. He knew the conflict they had before was far from over.

It was only after the firewood had been collected and lit did he feel at ease.

"So Naruto," his sensei started off, "I remember you wanting to volunteer for first watch?" Kakashi asked while putting away his book.

The blonde smiled weakly and nodded. He didn't bother to look at the man; instead, he chose to keep his eyes fixated on the campfire. It helped him think.

"Alright then, I suppose I'll take watch afterwards, followed by Sasuke then Sakura." Kakashi attempted to change their somber moods by suggesting fun activities like telling stories or even just having a simple chat, but when his genins didn't smile or even attempt to change their attitudes, he sighed and stopped.

"Bedtime everyone."

/Break/

Jiraiya left the small restaurant with a slight distaste in his mouth as well as several thoughts plaguing his mind on what he should do next. He felt as if his entire life led up to this moment.

"You do not have to decide now," Danzou said as they both made their way to the middle of the street, "You have until Naruto gets back."

Jiraiya nodded and said his goodbye before walking away. He could feel Danzou watching him leave towards the tower but that did not matter at the moment. Right now he wanted nothing more than to make his way to the Hokage and inform him of Akatsuki as well as Danzou's deal.

With a quick sigh he made his way slowly through the crowded streets until he arrived at the tower. Looking far above him he could see the windows that belonged to the Hokage's office. _'I should surprise him by taking the normal route I guess,'_ and so he headed for the stairs.

A few minutes went by before he was knocking on the door to the Hokage's office.

"Come in," came a reply from inside.

Jiraiya opened the door and placed his usual happy grin on. "Ah Sarutobi-sensei, it's been awhile hasn't it?"

The old Hokage was surprised to see one of his pupils. "Jiraiya, it has been a while, but not long enough to warrant another visit. Something wrong?"

The toad sage rubbed his head sheepishly, "What do you mean by if 'something's wrong'? Can't I just visit my favorite sensei every now and again?" He said between chuckling.

The old man looked at him with a warm smile as he stood up so he could walk around his desk. "I only imagine so since you only visit when you deem it important enough."

"Well this time I didn't come back on my own free will. I was called back by Danzou over Naruto."

"Hmm…Danzou you say? What did he want with you?"

"He wants me to train Naruto over how to use the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Strange, I would have assumed he would have already done that or at least do it himself."

"It appears he doesn't want to mess with Minato's seal. I haven't seen it myself but from what he was telling me, it's too complicated for anyone who isn't a master with sealing." The toad sage smiled, "He considers me a master in sealing."

"You? A master? No that can't be it. I'm sure he feels more secure about you handling Minato's seal, you were his sensei." The old man tried to hide his smirk, but it was too obvious.

Jiraiya tried to ignore the obvious insult but he eventually broke down into a smile, "True, but this comes with a compromise. I can only train Naruto if I stay in the village and have Root watch over me. I will see him for a few hours a day while I study the seal and teach him to draw upon the Fox's chakra. But that's not all; I also have to supply him with information on Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru."

"Hmm," the Hokage thought for a moment, "I'm sure the rest of the council won't say anything about Root watching you because he was assigned to watch over the boy from assassinations. He has every right to keep constant tabs on the boy until he proves he can watch over himself. That won't happen for some time. As for Orochimaru and Akatsuki, that is very strange. What does he need information on them for?"

"I don't know but I figured I'll find out while I'm training the boy, but he did give me until Naruto came back from his mission to think about it."

"Well he already knows what you'll-" The door to his office suddenly opened up to reveal a younger shinobi carrying a message.

"Hokage-sama, forgive my intrusion but we have word from Grass. It appears that your suspicions where right, they never requested for our services."

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. _'I knew it sounded odd. I should have checked first with Grass before sending in Team 7.'_

The toad saw the immediate change in his sensei's demeanor. "What's going on?" Jiraiya asked.

/Break/

Kakashi woke up late in the middle of the night. Something had told him he needed to be awake and at the ready. Quickly and quietly he took a look at the time on his small watch that he kept next to him. The copy-nin noticed that it was well past Naruto's time to keep watch and that he should have been woken up a while ago.

His left eye darted to Naruto's sleeping bag to see it empty. _'Where is Naruto? Is he still keeping watch?'_

It only took a few more seconds to find him. Kakashi silently sighed as he saw his pupil sitting on a branch high up in the trees. From where he was laying he could only see his back and, judging from his posture, he could tell Naruto was awake but not at all alert to what was around him.

Silently he jumped up to a branch near Naruto and watched for a few seconds before deciding that he shouldn't berate the kid for not ending his shift and waking him up.

"Something you want to talk about Naruto?" he asked quietly.

The blond almost fell off the branch he was sitting on from surprise but he quickly recovered when he saw it was only Kakashi. "No," he stated simply, "I'm sorry for not-"

The copy-nin held up his hand signifying to the young shinobi that he didn't need to apologize. He made his way over to Naruto and sat down next to him.

They were both silent as they stared out into the darkness of the woods that the moon's light was not able to reach.

"Why does life seem so hard sometimes?" Naruto asked. He didn't know why he asked his sensei that but he felt that he needed someone to talk to and he wasn't sure how to start the conversation. Sure he could talk to Danzou, but not about life and its complicated aspects, because all he would get in return is a lecture about killing off emotions. At first Naruto thought it was an excellent piece of advice, but soon he found he couldn't. He couldn't abandon his emotions. Keeping them locked up was the hardest thing to do.

Kakashi thought for a moment before looking back at the boy, "Is it supposed to be easy?"

A small smile came from the blond, "I guess you are right about that one, but it just seems that everyone else doesn't have to work as hard as me."

Kakashi understood what Naruto was trying to say. He too thought it was unfair how the villagers saw Naruto, how he lost his parents, gained the most powerful eyes, and was practically born a Jinchuuriki. He was misunderstood by everyone. It was easy to find something about him to hate.

He also noticed his difficulty with making friends or even being nice to his teammates. Somewhere, deep down inside the boy, the experienced Nin could see so much conflict and confusion within him. He was able to see it during the D-rank missions where it looked as if he wanted to say something, but held his tongue knowing that Sakura and Sasuke would only yell back.

The copy-nin knew Naruto's life was complicated. When he was younger he wanted attention and acceptance. Now though he only wants solitude and he could care less if he had acceptance. Something told him that within the small boy his two personalities where constantly clashing. His younger, childish self was far from dead.

"Trust me Naruto," Kakashi's voice was quiet and sincere, "You are not the only one who has suffered in life." He paused for a few minutes as he thought on what to say next. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but because Sasuke is your teammate, I think you should know that his life isn't so easy either."

Naruto almost wanted to laugh because, from the short amount of time he has been with him, he has seen the villagers treat him kindly and give him praise. It seemed his clan was powerful and respected among Konoha.

"I don't see how that's possible."

"It's true. I'm sure you are not aware of this but Sasuke's entire clan was killed by his brother. He is the only one left."

Naruto's eyes widen in surprise. He knew about the incident but he never really gave it much thought other than it being just another event in Konoha's history. He was never able to relate considering he never had any family of his own. He could now see why there was always hatred fueling within him. He wanted revenge against that man because of his crime, for the destruction of clan. He could now understand his lust for power and to be the best.

"I've heard about it but I've never really given it much thought," he turned to face the boy still sleeping in his sleeping bag far below. "Because I never had an actual blood family I wouldn't know what it would be like to lose them all…but the pain of loneliness is something I know of all too well."

The only way he could relate would be if he lost Danzou and Root. Only then could he truly understand how Sasuke felt.

"Well, I'll try to be more tolerant of his actions, but I still think he's a pompous ass."

Kakashi chuckled just a little. "Alright Naruto that's fair enough."

"So what's Sakura's story? Why is she always on Sasuke?"

"Kinouchi are different Naruto. They are focused on men at an early age while men focus on training and the like. When you get older you're going to act like her over women. That phase will only last depending on your maturity."

Naruto didn't see too pleased to hear that. _'So she acts that way because she's a girl…' _He supposed it could be true considering he never really had any experience with women in general.

Kakashi nodded as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I have a few stories that I think you would like to hear."

Naruto looked up at his sensei and saw him staring out into the blackness of the night.

"They are about your father. I'm sure you've heard much about him from Danzou."

Naruto shook his head, "Actually I've heard next to nothing except the normal. Supposedly he was the greatest shinobi to ever live and he defended the village by defeating the 9 tailed fox."

Kakashi wasn't too surprised because he figured Danzou would want to keep Naruto in the dark as long as possible, but nevertheless he felt that he should share some of his stories. "Your father casted one hell of a shadow, but he wasn't always like that." He paused and looked at the boy, "Would you still like to hear a few stories about your father?"

Naruto nodded with a small smile on his face.

"This one takes place during my first mission as a Jounin."

/Break/

Naruto and Kakashi spent the majority of the night talking. The copy-nin told stories of Naruto's father and of his old teammates. He was hoping to incorporate the lessons that he learned from his past onto Naruto. Something he tried emphasizing was that he was a stuck up prick who ignored the people who ended up becoming his closest friends.

Naruto seemed fascinated by the stories of his father and Kakashi's childhood but during it all he remained quiet and respectful. He learned more than he ever could dream of about his father, but unfortunately, Kakashi did not know much about his mother except that her name was Uzumaki Kushina and that she hailed from former Whirlpool Country. _'So that's why I'm the only Uzumaki in the village and that's where I get my family name from.'_

Kakashi kept his own life stories to himself, like his father or how he viewed his old teammates Rin and Obito. He never really opened up to anyone about his own past and he knew now was not the time to start. He mainly focused on stories that took place during the third Ninja war or of when Minato was in office.

Most of his questions he had held onto for years where answered except for one, which he asked and received no answer.

"What's a Jinchuuriki?" He had held onto that since the assassination attempt when he was seven. He had asked Danzou several times but he always avoided the subject.

Kakashi paused and thought hard if he should answer it, "I don't think I'm allowed to answer that actually, maybe when you're older."

Naruto wasn't surprised at all by his sensei's answer but he still felt some small amount of disappointment, mainly because there was a secret that everyone was keeping from him. He knew he shouldn't pursue it any further because Danzou had made it clear that it wasn't very important, but still, curiosity always got the better of him and he let the information chew away at his mind.

"Well I believe we've talked long enough. Let's wake Sakura and let her keep watch till morning since Sasuke's turn is almost up."

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly because he realized how long he and Kakashi had stayed up talking.

"Ah Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said before Kakashi left the tree branch, "I um…thanks." He wasn't used to thanking people.

"No problem Naruto," the copy-nin's one eye turned into a U, "I'm here to talk anytime you need it."

With that being said they both jumped down where the sleeping bags were. Naruto crawled into his sleeping bag while Kakashi walked over to Sakura and woke her up.

The copy-nin felt as if a large amount of weight had been lifted off the young boy's shoulders. '_I hope this little chat has been helpful to him.' _

/Break/

It was early in the morning when all four of team 7 was awake and ready to move. They had spent the last 10 minutes packing up their belongings and taking one last look at the map before heading out.

"How come I wasn't able to keep watch last night?" Sasuke asked his sensei as they began to move out.

"Oh, I guess time must have slipped past me," He started, "You see the book I was reading was getting really interesting and-"

"You were reading in the middle of the night?" Sasuke asked. He didn't believe him for a second and he was very annoyed. _'Does he not think I could keep watch?'_

The Jounin merely shrugged in response and kept on walking along with Sakura and Naruto with his book in his hand. "I imagine we'll travel in the same formation today?"

The others silently agreed and quickly formed into the same, diamond shaped formation as the day before with Naruto being in front, followed by Sasuke and Sakura with Kakashi tailing.

The blond silently thanked Kakashi for lying to Sasuke. He would hate for the brooding Uchiha to find out that he unintentionally took time away from him to keep watch by listening to stories of his father. He was positive that he would take it differently, like he wasn't worthy of keeping watch.

When Naruto took the lead, he kept his Rinnegan deactivated because he didn't want to waste chakra that he might need it later. He also thought that he wouldn't need it.

It was Sakura who first noticed a change in their blonde leader as the day moved on. She couldn't quite place it but she knew he wasn't pushing them as hard as he was the day before nor did he seem angry. In fact, she almost felt as if he was smiling but she couldn't tell with him being in front. _'He's…different today.'_

Next was Sasuke who noticed. He was frightened by the new Naruto because he thought the idiot knew something he didn't. _'What is smiling about?' _were his only thoughts for about an hour before he realized that he spent too much dwelling on it_. 'Whatever, it is can't be too important. It's probably something stupid.'_

But Naruto was far from being 'new', he was just content now with things. With a lot of his past revealed, he was able to focus on other things and he no longer had to daydream his past. He felt his mind relax for the first time in a long while as the puzzle pieces in his life came together, but one thing still remained unchanged – he still didn't like Sasuke or Sakura. He could tolerate their misbehaviors, but only until he became a chuunin and moved on.

It was around mid afternoon when team 7 came to the most dangerous part to travel during the mission.

Only a few feet to the left was a cliff edge to a massive canyon. It was deep but the bottom was still visible. To their right was a thick forest that was too overgrown to travel, so team 7 was forced to walk on the narrow path between them. They would only be on it for about ten minutes so they didn't see the harm.

"We should be meeting our tag-a-long from Grass in about 15 minutes." Kakashi called out from behind. He had been here before and remembered exactly where the small town was.

It wasn't until about five more minutes of traveling alongside the cliff of the canyon did Naruto stop and hold his hand up.

The rest of team 7 stopped with him.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. _'I'm surprised he noticed it this early.'_ The copy-nin had a weird feeling for the past two minutes that he was being watched but he couldn't find where the enemy was. '_Why hasn't he attacked yet?'_

Naruto activated his Rinnegan and began to look around. It didn't take long for him to find orbs of chakra beneath them as well as all along the path they were traveling. As far as he could tell the entire path was covered with small spheres of chakra in front of them and behind them. His eyes told them what they were and he figured the only place to escape was into the thick forest. _'They look like explosives made from dirt…no, clay?' _He had never seen the technique before.

"Kakashi-sensei, we have a problem."

It only took seconds before his Sharingan was revealed and only a second later for him to see what Naruto was talking about.

Sasuke had also activated his Sharingan in hopes of seeing what Kakashi and Naruto where seeing. "What are those?" He asked.

"They're bombs, and as far as I can tell we've been walking on these for quite a while. " Kakashi remarked. _'But why haven't they gone off yet?'_

Sakura began screaming.

/Break/

Long streaks of blonde hair blew violently from the wind. His clothing was just as restless as he climbed higher up into the sky.

Deidara was cruising atop his clay bird high above the ground. He kept himself hidden by staying in the direct view of the sun. "That seems like him." He said aloud to himself as he compared the picture to the small, blond-headed boy who was walking along the cliff wall. "I don't know what he did but it doesn't matter, he'll get to witness the beauty of my art!"

He flew lower so that the victims on the cliff could see him before they died.

/Break/

Naruto was looking at his sensei when he noticed the copy-nin's head snap towards the direction of the sun. The genins followed his gaze and noticed something flying in the air.

"What is that?" Sasuke asked as he too followed his sensei's gaze.

"I don't know but I don't like the situation we're in." He then took a look around, "On my mark we head for the trees." He didn't want to act too suddenly or the bombs might go off, but he knew the longer he waited, the higher the chance that they would die.

With Naruto's eyes he could see the man in the distance fairly well. He could see the slightest hand movements, along with his chakra, and could predict when he would set them off.

"Everyone ready?"

Before Kakashi spoke again, Naruto could see the man on the clay bird move his hands into position. _'He's setting them off!'_

"ART IS A BANG!"

The blonde heard the man's voice echo across the canyon and knew what was about to happen. He didn't have time to think and so his body moved on its own accord.

"Shinra tensei (Divine Judgment)" Naruto's hand was held out as he pushed his comrades up and over the trees just before the ground beneath him exploded. The entire cliff face erupted into chaos of deafening explosions for about a mile in each direction. The cliff wall and the first 30 yards inward from the cliff collapsed into the canyon.

The last thing Kakashi was able to see were the explosions under Naruto's feet going off while he and the rest of team 7 where sent into the air to avoid the blast.

"NARUTO!" Kakashi called out. His Sharingan was no longer effective because he couldn't penetrate the blasts or even the smoke that still lingered. He could no longer see him.

Sasuke was the first to land in the trees far in the distance. He recovered quickly before Kakashi, followed by Sakura, landed next to him. All three were coughing on the smoke from the explosions.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura was the first to speak when she looked around for him. She was the only one who didn't quite follow the events of what just happened.

/Break/

The missing Nin was quite happy with his success. He had a front row ticket to his art as well as the boy he was hired to kill.

The Nin, after witnessing the destruction of the cliff wall and the area surrounding it as it all fell into the canyon. He knew that his job was done and needed to report back to the low-key temple where his terrorist organization that he belonged to was waiting for him. He wanted his money for his art.

/Break/

The rest of team 7 backtracked to the new cliff edge to see if they could find Naruto. Kakashi knew all too well that the boy was probably at the bottom of the canyon, dead. A tear formed in his right eye.

He was about to turn to his team when suddenly something caught his eye. His Sharingan was able to see a faint chakra signature move at the bottom. It was the size of a speck but nonetheless his eye was able to pick it up.

"Naruto's down there. We need to check it out."

He began forming signs so he could summon Pakkun but his hands were suddenly wrapped in paper.

"I can't let you do that."

He turned to see a woman with blue hair with an origami flower sticking out of it standing on a tree branch nearby. The copy Nin immediately noticed the hidden grass headband she wore. _'What's going on?'_

"Wait, we're from Konoha," Sakura said to her, "We're here to help you."

"Stay back Sakura." Kakashi was able to free his hands from the paper easily. "Who are you?"

The women in the black cloak covered in red clouds only gave a small sigh as she whispered loudly to herself, "Why does nothing ever go according to plan?"

She looked over towards the canyon._ 'They were supposed to meet us in town so I could…distract...Kakashi and the other two while Pein confronted the boy. Good thing we decided to come out and meet them.'_

The terrorist attack on the team from Konoha wasn't part of their plan, but nevertheless they had to roll with it. '_I hope Pein can find the boy.'_

/Break/

The blonde remembered everything so vividly. It seemed as if time itself had slowed down as he used his used divine judgment to send his teammates to safety before switching to his absorption technique.

He was able to absorb most of the blast around him with the sacrifice of his left arm but he wasn't able to escape the crumpling ground beneath him, and so he fell into the canyon. That was the last thing he remembered after waking up at the bottom of the canyon.

He was lying on a giant boulder that had landed in the middle of the fierce river below. He had no recollection of how he got there or how he survived. He looked up at the sky and saw that the sides of the canyon stretching up forever. He only imagined that is what an ant would see if it looked up a tree, walls that stretched to heaven.

"That was impressive." A voice came from a few dozen yards ahead of him. "You show much potential."

Naruto tilted his head up to see three men who were wearing black cloaks with red clouds along with having the same hair color and…_'They have the same eyes as me!' _They, too, were on top of boulders that stuck out from the river below. He could only assume these massive rocks came down with him from the explosion.

The blond tried to bolt up to his defensive position while activating his Rinnegan, but he found that his left arm was broken and so it hung lifelessly in front of him. He could feel the blood running down his arm and dripping on the ground.

"Who are you guys? What's going on here?" Naruto asked immediately as his right hand dashed behind to his pouch to retrieve two kunai.

"We are known as Pein. I must say I've never seen a shinobi as talented as you. You survived which proves to me that you were meant for something much more."

"What do you mean?"

"Your fall," he started, "you expertly guided the rocks and moved them to your will. I'm impressed."

Naruto didn't remember anything after absorbing the blast and the crumbling ground below him. _'Did I black out?'_

The blonde shook his thoughts away and decided to focus on the men before him. Naruto's eyes were able to see the black piercings on the three bodies picking up radio-like signals from a far distance. "What are you? How can you have the same eyes as me?"

"As I said earlier, we are Pein. And as far as eyes go, I believe I have had the Rinnegan far longer than you have. So the question should be, why do YOU have the same eyes as me?"

Naruto thought for a moment and realized that the shinobi had a point. "Why are you here then?"

"I'm here to have a chat with you."

Naruto didn't answer.

"Tell me, what do you know about the Rinnegan?"

"Only the legends."

"Only the legends huh?" He gave no hint of emotion in his voice, "The legendary Rinnegan appears when the world is in for a great change. The one who has it will be the one to choose the fate of humanity."

"Sounds stupid to me."

"Surely you've heard of the Rikudou Sennin, the founder of Ninjutsu. He was very much real." He paused for only a few seconds before continuing, "The Rinnegan is the eyes of the gods. We transcend mere mortals and become life and death itself. We are god. The question now is, why are there two gods? What is your purpose? Is it world peace? Or have you been sent to stop me? Or are you a test from the gods?" Pein was now more serious than he had previously been.

"What the hell are you talking about? Let me see the real you!" During this entire conversation he had realized the three men in front of him where only dead bodies acting like puppets. His eyes could see the signals being sent.

"No doubt you've see right through me." Deva Pein said as he walked ahead of the other two bodies that were there. "But I can see right through you too. You are a Jinchuuriki." Pein, with the power of the Rinnegan, was able to see the seal placed on the young boy's stomach as well as the demonic chakra leaking into his body from his stomach. '_Madara left that part out. I guess the gods have a sense of humor. The one thing that can stop me is on the very thing I'm after.'_

"Jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked. _'Maybe I can get him to tell me!'_

"You are a human sacrifice. I can only assume it is the nine-tails."

'_Human sacrifice? Nine-tails?'_ Naruto looked at the man hard, "What do you mean human sacrifice?! What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't know? The nine-tailed fox is sealed within you." His voice held no emotion. "My, it seems that no one in Konoha even bothered to tell you." He looked at the boy who was lowering his head, "You should be careful who you trust in Konoha, No one is who they seem to be."

Naruto looked up with angry eyes.

"Well I was going to ask you a few more things and even discuss a few of my philosophies with you but I see that it would be pointless. You seem to be in the dark about many things."

The Akatsuki Nin looked at him while thinking.

Deva path's left hand slowly emerged from his sleeve carrying a black rod. "There are too many mysteries surrounding us," Pein paused to look Naruto dead in the eye, "That is why you're coming with me. Maybe then your true purpose can be revealed."

Naruto knew he would attack and unfortunately, he didn't know where to go if he needed to retreat. He was stuck inside a canyon with only one good arm.

Deva Pein held out his hand that held the mysterious black rod and pointed it directly at the young Nin.

"Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)"

Naruto felt an unknown force pull on his chest as he was flown towards Pein. _'This is like the opposite of Shinra Tensei. If I don't do anything, I'll be impaled!'_

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)" Naruto effectively canceled the technique just before being impaled. He quickly dove down to the ground and released the two kunai he held in his right hand. Deva Pein dodged them while the other two paths came closing in. Human realm quickly summoned the other remaining paths.

Meanwhile Human realm sped towards the young blonde.

The blonde noticed with his Rinnegan and took action by diving back. He reached into his back pouch to check his equipment, all while ignoring the pain coming from his left arm.

/Break/

Sasuke was fairing much better against the paper clone of the mysterious newcomer than Sakura was. Although he had to admit the kinouchi knew how to manipulate chakra perfectly, Sakura still didn't know enough offensive techniques and therefore was useless to him.

Still, he acknowledged the fact that she didn't waste any of her chakra creating simple clones or using substitution to avoid the paper shurikens. It was something he had slightly envied.

'_This clone is playing with us! Why on earth would she not take us out already?'_

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)" He released a fireball towards the paper shurikens heading in his direction, effectively destroying them. Then, with his Sharingan, he was able to see the wires he had carefully laid down around the area as he continued to jump around and dodged the blue-haired woman's attacks.

To his left he spied Sakura. He could see that it wasn't a mere buunshin so he quickly jumped over to her while releasing a few kunai of his own towards his opponent.

"Sakura," He landed next to her, "I have an idea but I need your help."

'_He needs my help! I must be dreaming!'_ Sakura momentarily forgot that she and Sasuke were fighting for their lives. "What do you need me to do?"

Meanwhile, Kakashi was fairing much better than his two genin students who had, unfortunately, separated from him.

He walked up casually to her as she was now stuck in his genjutsu.

Konan couldn't free herself from the gaze of her opponent's Sharingan. She was helplessly bound to a tree that she KNEW didn't exist, but nevertheless it wouldn't let her go. Her hands where melded into the tree.

"You are stuck within my Jubaku Satsu (Tree Binding Death) Jutsu." Kakashi held a kunai up to her throat. "I need some answers."

/Break/

Naruto was broken and battered as he was sent flying, yet again, into the cliff wall. He had fought well against them at first but it was only a matter of time before he was bested, especially starting out with a broken arm.

"Had enough?" Deva Pein jumped over to the next boulder to avoid the waters below.

Naruto fell from the indention on the cliff wall and onto solid rock below. Between him and Deva Pein there was only a ten feet gap of raging water separating them. "Are you ready to cooperate and come with me?"

Naruto shook his head and struggled to stand back up.

"I congratulate on your courage but you have to understand that no one is coming for you. Just give up."

Naruto's eyes were looking down. _'Just give up?'_ he thought sadly to himself, _'Should I? Am I meant to?'_ He noticed the amount of blood covering his left arm as well as the blood dripping from his mouth and onto his travel cloak, which he was surprised wasn't completely torn to pieces. He could feel his body repairing itself but he knew he was still too messed up to keep fighting.

'_He's playing with me!'_ He thought bitterly. _'No matter what I try they see right through it!'_ The more he thought about his opponent, the more he confused himself. _'They fight in perfect unison without needing to communicate at all.'_

Deva path saw the confusion in the young boy's eyes and decided to take advantage of the situation. He leapt forward with the mysterious black rod stretched out in his left hand. It wasn't until he was over the small, ten foot gap of water did he realize his mistake.

A massive tongue emerged from the waters and was about to wrap itself around Deva when Animal Realm summoned Deva path back next to him, making him narrowly avoiding the attack.

The tongue went back into the water before a giant toad crawled up onto the boulder Deva Pein was standing on previously before he attacked Naruto.

The boy's eyes were heavy and threatened to close but he could still see what was going on. To his surprise he saw a hand, followed by an arm emerge from the mouth of the toad. Soon an entire man had appeared.

"Seems the mighty toad sage Jiraiya arrived just in time." The toad sage took a quick look at his opponent. _'The Rinnegan…Is that Yahiko?' _He turned to look at Naruto to see if he what shape he was in. "I'm proud of you Naruto. You fought bravely." He then turned to toad that was still next to him, "Take him back to Konoha."

The toad nodded and lashed out his tongue to grab a hold on the boy before dragging him into his mouth.

The young shinobi was too tired and was on the verge of blacking out. He didn't protest at all. When the toad was finished, he jumped back into the water.

"So this is what you've been doing Yahiko although I could have sworn it was Nagato who had the Rinnegan." Jiraiya said when the boy and toad where gone. "I'm slightly disappointed in you, especially since I thought you've been dead all this time."

"The man you see before you is Pein. Yahiko and Nagato are dead."

Jiraiya nodded while folding his arms. "Is that so?" _'What's going on here? He looks like Yahiko and yet he has the Rinnegan! Who is he and why are there six of them? Is it possible that six others have the Rinnegan?'_

Nagato thought for a moment and realized one very important thing; he was too far from his bodies to effectively control them. He knew he could risk it with the boy but the random attack from the mercenary terrorist group forced him to send his bodies further than he had to. Besides, the signals he sent into the canyon weren't received well so he knew his only option was to fall back.

Now that the boy was gone there was no need to face Jiraiya. After all, he needed to get back to his village and speak with Madara.

Deva Pein quickly sent Jiraiya flying back with his Divine Judgment technique and then all six of them vanished.

Jiraiya landed on another boulder with grace. He didn't know why they fled but he decided to let him go. He didn't need to chase after him because he spied one very important clue from them – they were all wearing hidden Rain headbands.

When the Sannin was sure that they were gone, he looked up at the cliff wall towards the sky. "Now how am I going to get out of here?"

/Break/

Sasuke vaulted in the air and landed on a nearby tree branch. He was waiting for Sakura to lure the woman into the small field he had set up previously with wires. _'Here she comes.'_

Sakura ran through the clearing normally knowing that Sasuke wouldn't set the trap off on her. She was followed shortly before the woman who had landed in the clearing exactly where they wanted. "Quit running girl-"

She cut herself off when wires began to wrap around her tightly. Sasuke wasted no time in running his hands through multiple hand signs. However, before he could cast his fire technique, she vanished.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was surprised that the women trapped in his jutsu vanished before his eyes. He was sure she was trapped.

He scanned the area for any signs of her before heading off to find his team. It didn't take long to find them.

"Sensei," Sakura saw him coming, "over here."

Kakashi landed next to them in the empty clearing. He already knew what had happened based on the wires on the ground. _'Sasuke's getting better.'_

"You two okay?" He asked.

They nodded.

"Who was that woman?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know." Kakashi answered honestly. "But it's safe to say the mission is canceled. Let's go look for Naruto."

"Don't worry about Naruto, he's safe. By now he's probably back in Konoha."

Team 7 spun around to see Jiraiya leaning against a tree.

"Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing here?" Kakashi asked while putting his headband back down to cover his exposed Sharingan.

"I thought you guys might need help. Now tell me about this woman you were talking about."

/Break/

Jiraiya was now back in Konoha along with team 7. He and Kakashi were speaking with the Third in his office.

"Are you sure it was her?" The Third asked the toad Sage.

"If Kakashi is telling the truth then yes it seems it was Konan who attacked them. It appears that my students are in Akatsuki although nothing seems right about it."

"What do you mean?" The old Hokage leaned back against his desk.

"During my stay in Rain where I trained my first students, it was Nagato who had the Rinnegan, not Yahiko. Also, it appeared that five others had the Rinnegan, not just Yahiko. They called themselves Pein."

"This is series news but for now we should keep this to ourselves. It would be very unwise to act without discussing it further. Kakashi, you said you found out something particular."

The copy Nin put his book away, "When I had Konan captured in my genjutsu, I was able to ask her one question before she disappeared. It was about the Sharingan in Grass country."

"What did she say?"

_Flashback_

"_You are stuck within my Jubaku Satsu (Tree Binding Death) Jutsu." Kakashi held a kunai up to her throat. "I need some answers." _

_Kakashi looked at her headband and saw that it was from Grass. _

"_Do you know of anyone who also might have a Sharingan? I know this isn't the first time you've seen it based on your movements from earlier." He asked casually_

_Konan was surprised and tilted her head away as she quietly mouthed Uchiha Madara. She was certain that Kakashi couldn't hear her, and she was right, but she didn't know that the Sharingan could help read lips._

"_Uchiha Madara? Isn't he supposed to be dead?"_

_She gave no expression so he held the kunai to her throat. That was when she vanished._

_End flashback_

"Uchiha Madara? Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well it was said that the First Hokage killed him," Kakashi answered, "But it was never confirmed."

"Hmm…many mysteries surround Akatsuki. For now, we need to watch over Naruto in the meantime. We are still uncertain what they are after. As for your team Kakashi, I'll grant your mission a success for the information you have brought us as well as bump it up to an A-rank. You should be proud." The old Hokage said.

Kakashi nodded and headed for the door. He knew his team would love to this.

/Break/

Naruto woke up alone in the hospital. He didn't know how long he had been there but he was sure it was more than a day.

He looked down at his broken left arm with his Rinnegan to see it already healed. He was a little surprised but he always knew he healed fast ever since he began training under Root. He also noticed that most of his body was also covered in bandages. _'How bad was I?' _It seemed like only his left eye wasn't covered up.

Everything was in black and white but chakra, along with special barriers where revealed to him. Right now he could see the Kyuubi's chakra coursing through his body, healing him. '_I always thought this was something else. Now I know the truth.'_

He glanced out the window to see the sun rising over the village. It was strange now that he a few stories of his father and about the village. He saw it differently, but he still held onto the same emotions he carried.

He had always hated the villagers but the loved the village itself, mainly because his father died to protect it. Now he knew his father didn't die to protect the village itself, but the people in it. So he let his anger go against them. He no longer hated them but he sure as hell didn't like them. Now he became indifferent about them. He needed more before making up his mind.

He forced his eyes away from the window and onto the ceiling. Memories of his fight with the six paths of Pein drifted back. During that fight he understood one simple thing – all those techniques were possible with the Rinnegan. So he purposely attacked every one of them to see what techniques they were capable of.

He learned a few things. One was that it might be possible to summon creatures, any creature at will, although he didn't know what the piercings on them were. Also, he could possibly read minds. He knew this because one of them kept summoning different creatures while the other had read his mind by just placing his hand atop his head, but he was only able to gain a few bits of information before he escaped his grasp.

Another Pein was able to resurrect the others, at least from what he could tell after he destroyed the fat one who kept absorbing his jutsus.

'_They were playing with me the entire time. If they wanted to destroy me they could have but why didn't they?' _ He noticed that none of them really attacked offensively, only defensively, as if they were waiting for him to tire out.

Naruto thought about it more and knew that he could have learned so more if he had voluntarily gone with the man. _'How much is he hiding from me? What else could these eyes do?'_

Several minutes passed as he sat there alone, analyzing the fight. He remembered them fighting in unison without ever needing to communicate. Where they able to speak mentally? Or was it something else.

Thirty minutes had gone by and he had finally thought of one last thing. Naruto's weakness was that he could only use one technique at a time, but now, using the six paths of inspiration, he came up with his solution.

A devilish smile crept up to his lips. He didn't know what his "purpose" was or what role he would play in deciding humanity's fate, but he knew he had to be strong and he needed to be ready.

Suddenly the door opened up to reveal Danzou. He entered and casually walked up next to the bed. "So you're finally up. I've heard some pretty interesting things regarding your first successful A-rank mission."

Naruto perked up, "It was successful? How? I thought…A-rank?" So many questions plagued his mind.

"There was more going on in that mission than you thought but nevertheless it was carried out. So tell me, anything interesting happen?" Danzou's demeanor remained unchanged. He was hoping to hear about this other man with the Rinnegan. _'I thought Nagato died a long time ago. I need to know if he's still alive.'_

The man was scared, mostly because Nagato knew he had struck a deal with Hanzou in hopes of becoming the Hokage years ago.

The blonde looked at him and thought if he should tell him everything that happened. It was then that Pein's words echoed through his head, _'Be careful who you trust in Konoha. No one is who they seem to be.'_

With his Rinnegan still active he could see different chakra running through Danzou's right arm and eye. _'What are you hiding Danzou? What is so special about them that you won't even tell me?'_

/Break/

A giant clay bird landed just outside a small, low-key temple that was isolated in the woods. He entered casually, hoping to find his terrorist cell.

He knew something was off so he paused in the doorway.

"We've been waiting for you." A tall, fish-like man appeared from the shadows. On his back was a giant, wrapped sword.

"We are Akatsuki and we are here to ask you to join us." A smaller man, who was hunched over on all four, appeared next to the other while a third member joined them. His face was still covered by shadows.

Deidara saw red eyes glaring back at him.

/Break/

Massive twin doors opened up for the four shinobi. They walked through and into the desert before them.

"Baki-sensei, how long will it take us to get to Konoha?" A kinouchi of about 16 asked.

"It will take about three days I suppose." He spoke with authority as he looked over towards his genin team. _'I just hope we survive the trip. We'll be fine as long as Gaara doesn't get too excited.'_

"What's the hurry Temari, it's not like anyone's waiting for you in Konoha."

She gave a mean look to her brother Kankurou before glancing over at her unstable brother. _'The sooner we get there, the better.'_

/Break/

"So was it a success?" Madara asked from Pein from inside the building.

"No," Pein replied while looking out over his city while standing in the rain. "It was an utter failure."

**A/N**:I'm going to stop here for now. The next chapter is obviously the chuunin exam. I would also like to apologize for not updating for a while now but I was kind of disappointed in the number of reviews. I was hoping I would get more than that and was holding out for more.

Some might be confused about Naruto's behavior and that is my fault as a writer. I will explain it now if I can.

Naruto was used to seeking attention when he was younger because everyone hated or ignored him. Once people found out he was the son of the Fourth, they began to see him a little differently. Naruto didn't like the fact that being the son of the legendary Fourth changed the way they looked at him so easily (he wanted to get noticed on his own merit) and so he locked himself away with Root. Soon he forgot about the village for a while and focused on Root but once he was forced out back into the village, he began to remember how things used to be. Now, after the talk with Kakashi, he began to see WHY the villagers viewed him differently after knowing who his father was. It was because the man didn't save the village, he saved the villagers. Also the confrontation with Pein kind of warped him a little.

Now Naruto has a new goal. That will be revealed in the later chapters. Also, his new outfit is my avatar pic on my profile if you want to quickly check that out.

Sorry if this felt rushed but I needed to whip something up for this story. I also thought of a definite story plot instead of just going with the flow. It will be something no one can see coming.

Anyway, I don't know when I'll update again but I'm surprised no one has asked about my other story. Hopefully next Friday I'll have something out for that but only if you want it to continue. Otherwise I'll just focus on this story.

Now that finals are over with I'll try to write more.

Also I put in a little Temari in there because I figured it was about time to get this Naruto/Temari pairing I promised going. For future reference, I don't write lemons. Just letting you know. I'm really bad at writing them.

Like always, please tell me if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes.

Thanks for reading and please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: First I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. They were inspirational and they kept me going. Believe it or not, I wrote this in one day (trapped in by snow). I would also like to thank all those who stuck with this story. I had no idea that Danzou would put so many people off.

Second, I would like to apologize for being late but I have a legit excuse. If you care to know, I'll post it at the bottom so you may read it if you wish.

Third, I will answer some questions. They are also at the bottom.

Chapter 6: The Start Of The Chuunin Exams

It was mid afternoon when Naruto walked casually down one of the many open alleyways in Konoha. His destination was a small, specific bridge over one of the two main rivers that flowed through Konoha that team 7 often used as a meeting point.

He figured he was only a few minutes away so he took his time. To his left and right were high fences. One of which he remembered painting not too long ago.

"Do you know who I am?" A loud, high-pitched voice rang through the air.

Naruto didn't recognize who it belonged to, but he knew they were close. The blonde haired boy quickened his pace a tad and approached another alleyway to his right. Looking down it he could see two foreign shinobi holding up a small boy.

"Enlighten me, you little brat." The one holding the small boy said. Naruto immediately noted that he was wearing all black with purple face paint. _'Strange.'_

Naruto could see from the headband that both the guy holding the small boy, and the girl with him, were Suna nins_. 'They must be here for the Chuunin exams that start in a few days.'_ He thought to himself.

"I'm the grandson of the Third Hokage! You better put me down or else!"

The shinobi only chuckled, "Really now?" His eyes then darted over to Naruto. "It looks like we have another midget to play with."

"Knock it off Kankurou. We're going to get yelled at if we keep this up." His female companion said.

Naruto looked over at her and studied her for the first time. Years of training taught him to exam his enemies, so the first thing he noticed about her was her massive fan that she carried. He then noted her attitude as well as her stance. He already began sizing them up and tried to already decipher the types of jutsu they might use.

"Let him go." Naruto said in a calm demeanor. He was visibly relaxed with his hands in his pockets along with a lazy posture. He didn't know what made him get involved. Maybe it reminded him how he was treated growing up, or maybe it was the fact that the little kid was a member of the leaf village. He didn't know exactly why, but he did know that this wasn't acceptable.

Kankurou looked at Naruto with a curious eye. He was trying to size up the little pipsqueak. "You'll have to take him from me if you want him so badly." He smirked back at the kid. _'Let's see what the kid's got.'_

Naruto looked at the man carefully who was still holding the little kid up. _'I wonder what he has wrapped up on his back…'_ The blonde-haired shinobi merely shrugged it off and lazily took out his right hand from his pocket and held it up towards the little kid who was still squirming in Kankurou's grip. His eyes turned grey with a rippled pattern, "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)"

The Suna nin was surprised to see the small boy ripped from his grip and fly towards the younger shinobi.

Naruto caught the small boy a split second later and quickly set him to the side while turning off his doujutsu.

"Well it seems that not all shinobi from Leaf are weak." He said quietly as he began taking off his wrapped contraption on his back. _'Those eyes! What were they?'_

"Enough," the girl behind him put her hand on his shoulder. "You know we shouldn't cause a scene."

"Knock it off Temari. If this little punk wants to go then-" he cut himself off when a rock hit his hand.

"What are you bastards doing here in our village?" Sasuke sat comfortably up in a nearby tree.

Naruto rolled his eyes at Sasuke and sighed. "You and Sakura are supposed to be at our meeting spot waiting for Kakashi-sensei."

"So are you," Sasuke replied back, "what makes you think you can have all the fun?"

'_Arrogant little…,'_ Naruto merely shrugged it off as he folded his arms, continuing to stare at his would-be opponent.

Kankurou's eyes darted from one opponent to another. "This is getting fun. You know how much I hate annoying midgets. It makes me want to kill them. Luckily for me I have three right here asking for it."

"Good luck with that." Temari stated casually as she moved her hair out of her eyes.

"Alright then, I'll take that one," he said while pointing to Naruto, "And you'll -"

"Oh no," Temari interrupted, "I'm not getting involved."

"Fine, I guess I'll have to do this myself." His left hand reached over and slowly began unwrapping his strange contraption.

"Kankurou," a new voice spoke out, "stop before you become an embarrassment to our village."

Everyone's eyes lit up at the sound of the newcomer's voice. It was a deep, soft sound that came from somewhere nearby.

Naruto quickly spotted him standing upside down on the same tree Sasuke was sitting in. Even Naruto raised an eyebrow. _'So that's where he was.'_ He could definitely feel another presence close but he had no idea it was that close. _'He's definitely the one to look out for.'_

'_When did he…?'_ Sasuke didn't even notice him. _'That's Kakashi's level of stealth!' _

"I'm sorry, but they started it." Kankurou said.

"I said knock it off or I'll kill you." He then turned to the leaf shinobi. "I'm sorry for his actions."

He vanished in a swirl of sand and reappeared next to his genin teammates.

"I'm sorry too," Temari quickly added.

Naruto noted the fear in Kankurou and Temari. Were they really that frightened of him? Was he really that horrifying? The boy was slightly intrigued. _'Why do they fear him like a monster?'_

"Are you guys here for the Chuunin exams?" Sasuke asked as he too jumped down from the tree.

Temari quickly produced a small slip of paper, "Yep."

"It looks like we got here too early. Let's go, we didn't come to play around." Gaara turned and began walking off.

"Wait," Sasuke said, "You with the gourd, what's your name?"

The red headed boy turned to face him, "Gaara of the Desert. I'm also interested in yours."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara gave a slight nod and quickly stared at the other boy, "I saw what you did earlier, and I also want to know your name as well."

"Namikaze Naruto," He stated.

The three genins from the sand walked away and left only Sasuke, Naruto, and the small boy they saved behind.

"Wow that was awesome! Can you teach me to do that?" The small boy apparently had forgotten all about the close encounter with death and only focused on Naruto's technique.

"No," He looked over at Sasuke, "Where's Sakura?"

"I don't know."

Both shrugged.

"Please teach me! I'll be your student and you'll be my teacher!"

Naruto ignored the plea for attention, "We should probably head back to our meeting spot. Kakashi-sensei will probably be there soon."

Sasuke began walking off towards the bridge. Naruto casually glanced over to his left and looked up into a not-too-distant tree. He could see three figures looking at them. _'I can't see their headbands from here but I can definitely tell they aren't Leaf shinobi. I'm already not starting to like this.' _They had been sitting in that tree the entire time, watching them, and Naruto knew it.

/Break/

Danzou sat comfortably in his throne deep under the ground. The ceiling of his lair was covered in roots from the trees all around Konoha. He found it befitting the organization's name.

"So tell me, how is Naruto progressing under Jiraiya?" Before him was the man assigned to keep watch over the boy and the legendary toad sage.

"He is progressing quickly, but I fear it may be in the wrong direction." He stated calmly.

"What do you mean?" His voice held no emotion.

"From what I can gather, it seems that he has abandoned the use of the fox's chakra. He has instead, taken up sealing."

"Then he is more like his father than I could have imagined." He gave a small smirk.

"What should I do about it?"

"Hmm, I believe we shouldn't do anything at the moment." He said, "Continue to keep me updated on his progress under Jiraiya. However, I am interested on his personal training." He was, of course, referring to when Naruto would have his usual weekly practice spars with the Root nins that were assigned to fight him.

"It seems that he has overcome his original weakness, but in the process, he created another one."

Danzou's ear seemed to perk up, "Explain."

"Before, Naruto could only do one jutsu at a time which gave us the advantage. Now, he thought of using shadow clones. They become almost impossible to defeat when they work together."

"Almost?"

"Yes, almost. He unintentionally created another weakness that we have found and exploited. Without it, we would be unable to win."

Danzou thought for a moment to consider Naruto's fighting style. "Continue."

"The shadow clones he is able to create use all the same jutsu he can, but with so many powerful clones on the field, they kept interfering with each other when fighting multiple enemies. Even if he had one shadow clone helping him, they are not able to communicate effectively with each other to set up a battle plan. Furthermore, if you keep the original pre-occupied after destroying the shadow clones, then he is unable to create more. As long as you keep him pressured he is unable to do anything other than defend."

"Interesting...he will have to learn to utilize the shadow clones more effectively. I suppose we know what to train him on now." With a slight hand motion he dismissed the man to go back to watching over Naruto.

'_This is an unexpected problem.'_ He thought, _'I didn't expect him to refuse to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Oh well, when he joins our organization, I'll have to break him of that thought.' _

He continued to dwell on his thoughts alone in his secret lair. _'Naruto has changed since his first C-rank mission from three weeks ago. His demeanor, fighting style, and thoughts are all different. I can no longer feel the slight hatred for the village anymore nor can I sense any fear for being in the public eye. This could be a good thing. I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on you.'_

It drove him crazy that Naruto couldn't remember much on what happened during that mission. He was sure he was hiding something from him but he couldn't lay a finger on the boy until after he joined Root. To him, the Chuunin exams couldn't come soon enough. _'Only a two more days.'_

But that wasn't the only thing that was keeping him waiting. Because of the deal he made with Jiraiya, he was able to use his sources of information to do some research on his own. With that, he learned of Orochimaru's plot to destroy the Leaf but using Sound and Sand. He found this most intriguing.

At first he thought of informing the Hokage, but then a more sinister plot came to him. He decided he would let the invasion take place, and when all hope seems lost, he, along with Root, would save the village. Of course, they would be too late to save the Hokage. Still, from the ashes he would rise and become the new Hokage. His dream was fast approaching.

Still, what to do with Naruto? First thing would be to promote him to chuunin and have him join Root once he became Hokage. Next would be to have him personally trained as his weapon, and he will be a sharp one indeed. With the power of the Kyuubi, along with the Rinnegan, he will become his prime instrument in conquering other villages. His first target will be the Sound Village.

/Break/

Kakashi stood before his fellow Jounins while facing their Hokage. He knew all too well why he was here.

"Today I would like all the Jounin with genin teams, who feel like their team is ready, to nominate them for the chuunin exams."

Kakashi, along with Asuma and Kurenai, stood at the front of the group. They were the leaders of the newest batch of genin teams.

"Alright, I'll start with you Kakashi," He began as he took out his pipe to light it; "Do you feel that your team is capable?"

The copy nin looked unimpressed with everything as he nonchalantly stated, "Under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate my team to take the chuunin exam."

There were a few murmurs in the back of the Jounin group, mainly because no one had really seen Namikaze Naruto in a long while. The only things they had heard were rumors. No one but Kakashi had seen the fabled Rinnegan.

The Hokage looked satisfied and looked over to Kurenai.

"Under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai, I too nominate my team."

The Hokage again looked satisfied and turned to Asuma.

"Under the name of Sarutobi Asuma, I also nominate my team."

'_How rare for all three rookie genin teams to be nominated.'_ He thought to himself, "Alright then, I suppose we shall continue to the other Jounin."

When everything was said and done, Kakashi was about to leave when the Hokage stopped him. He dismissed the others and waited till it was just the two of them left.

"How is Naruto doing?" The old Hokage asked in concern.

"He's doing well," He started, "I think he's improving in the areas he needs to improve in."

They both knew he wasn't talking about strength.

"That's good to hear Kakashi. I was beginning to worry about him after the ordeal he experienced three weeks ago."

"I understand," Kakashi said, "I think that was just what he needed."

"How so?" He asked.

"Well I'm not entirely sure what happened, but ever since he got back, he has been a little more…tolerable of his teammates. I no longer sense that distance between him and everyone else." Kakashi replied honestly. "Still, he would rather train than spend time with Sasuke or Sakura, but at least when he is with them, he is more relaxed."

The Hokage smiled as he took a puff from his pipe. "Interesting," He thought out loud. "I will be honest; I thought you would hold off on your nomination since Naruto is still new to the team."

"I thought about that too but I felt that all three of my genins work best under pressure. I think the chuunin exams will be just the thing to bring them closer."

/Break/

Naruto eventually caught up to Sasuke and both approached the bridge where Sakura and their sensei where waiting.

"There you guys are. I was about to go look for you two." Sakura said as she turned to face them.

"Yea I had to go get Naruto out of some trouble." Sasuke responded while approaching them.

Naruto looked a little angry but he let it go. He was slowly beginning to understand Sasuke's sense of humor and knew he was only joking now. Still, it was hard for him to get used to.

"Well I'm glad we could all finally make it here." Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I am here to tell you that I nominated you for the chuunin exams. Here are the forms you need to fill out and take to the academy, room 301. They are due in two days by 4 p.m."

Naruto gave one of his rare smiles as he looked down at the piece of paper that was now in his hands. This was one step closer to his goals. He wasn't exactly sure what his goals were, but he knew he wouldn't accomplish them as a genin.

"To take the test is still solely left up to each of you. If you do not feel like taking the test, then don't. The rest of today, as well as tomorrow, will be your days off." With that he ended with a small salute and vanished in a puff of smoke.

/Break/ Night before Chuunin Exam

Naruto lay motionless on his bed with his head turned sideways. He was currently staring at the new outfit that the Toad sage had given him earlier that day.

Jiraiya wanted to surprise him with a gift for good luck during the chuunin exam and so he gave him some new clothing.

Naruto was somewhat touched by it. Sure he didn't really love the guy but now, staring at the uniform that rested neatly on the nearby table, made him think of the last few weeks with the guy.

He remembered his first meeting with him. He was instructed by Danzou to wait just outside a local woman's bathhouse for his new sensei. He wasn't at all surprised to find him peeping on the women inside the wooden fence.

He was surprised however, when he was told to go away and come back in a few hours because the legendary Sannin needed to do some "research" for his new book. Not a great fist impression.

He remembered coming back a few hours later, as instructed, to find that his new sensei had waited patiently for him to come back so he could perform his cool entrance pose.

"I am the gallant Jiraiya!" He started, "The master of the toad arts, and one of the Legendary Sannin!" He spoke while standing on top of a human-sized toad. His hands spread wide as he danced.

The blonde wasn't at all impressed but later that day he remembered gaining much respect for the man.

"You are the one who saved me a few weeks back, right?" He remembered asking.

The toad sage gave a serious expression before nodding. "Yes it was."

"Didn't you also train my father?"

"Yep," Jiraiya's face lit up with a smile as he turned his head to face the Hokage Monument in the distance. "I sure did. He was my greatest student," His eyes seemed to be filled with memories. "Now it's time to train you as well."

"Can you tell me any stories about him?"

"Maybe, it depends how training goes." Jiraiya could see right through the blonde and knew he could use it for motivation. He would hold his stories as rewards.

"So what are we going to work first? Chakra control? Jutsu? Strength?" Naruto asked in an uninterested tone. He seemed a little depressed that he had to train first to hear them. Only later did he realize that maybe it was a good motivational tool.

"Nope. First we are going to work on something you haven't done before." He stated with a devilish smile. "Naruto, did you know that you possess two types of chakra?"

Naruto merely nodded before responding, "Mine and Kyuubi's, right?"

Jiraiya paled a little. _'He knows about the fox?'_ He mentally shrugged it off. "Yes, and I'm going to teach you to use the Kyuubi's chakra."

He remembered days flying by with no success. Since he had never willingly used it before, he wasn't sure where to begin.

It wasn't until one day Jiraiya had an idea.

/Flashback/

It had been only a few days after meeting Jiraiya when he took the boy for a hike through the woods. It seemed like an odd way to train and he continuously wondered where he was taking him. Suddenly, the toad sage stopped.

"Alright Naruto, I've tried a few methods and I'm kind of new at teaching how to summon demonic chakra, but I have another idea."

Naruto merely looked at the man with a bored expression. He was almost tired of all the wacky things he was put through in order to summon the fox's chakra. One of those wacky ideas was learning how to summon toads, which he succeeded at anyway without the use of the kyuubi's chakra.

"Now I want you to be still while I put this on." He reached into a pocket and produced a small slip with writing on it.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going to cover your eyes with it. This will keep you from activating your doujutsu. I don't want you using your Rinnegan while we try this."

The boy was a bit skeptical but he had no choice but to trust the man, after all, he did train his father.

When Jiraiya was done he examined his work. "Can you use your Rinnegan?"

For a moment Naruto tried to use it. "Nope."

"Alright then, good," He moved around Naruto until he was on his left side. "Now you need to summon Gamabunta and I know you don't have the chakra capacity to do that."

"Well how am I supposed to do that with this seal over my eyes?"

"Well kid I'm sure you'll figure it out. Besides, it's either that…or die!" He quickly shoved the boy before he could react. He went flying through bushes and leaves until he went over a cliff edge.

Naruto knew something was off. His senses told him that he would fall to his death unless he did something quick as he continued to fall.

His heart began to pound in his chest as a few seconds seem to fly by. He didn't know how long he had but he had to act fast.

He calmed his heart down as he urgently delved deeper into his mind. He needed to find out how to access the power of the nine tailed fox.

All too suddenly the boy seemed to have appeared in a sewer-like system. He found it strange that the blindfold was gone and he was able to see again. _'Where am I?'_ He noticed water on the floor and pipes along the wall. _'Is this my mind?'_

He wondered around for a few moments before he came across a massive double-door cage with a small seal between them.

Behind the bars there was only empty blackness, but that was not what Naruto was interested in. He approached the cage door rather quickly to look at the seal. He knew already what lay inside the cage.

'_Impressive! This tiny little seal holds the power of the Kyuubi.'_ Now he understood why his father was so interested in seals. Before now he had never really seen anything impressive. Sure there were storing seals and the one placed over his eyes, but he never dreamed that they could be so complicated.

'_My father did this…' _It was his only way to reach into the past and see what type of man his father really was.

"**Are you impressed with this seal**?" A deep, feral voice came from behind the cage as red eyes emerged from the darkness.

The boy looked up and was shocked. He had heard stories of him, but he never fully understood them until now. The Kyuubi was truly frightening.

"**Come closer kid, and I'll tell you all about it**."

Naruto took one step closer towards the cage before jumping back, narrowly avoiding the Kyuubi's claws that slid from in between the bars.

"**I would eat you if it wasn't for that damn seal**." He roared in protest.

Meanwhile, Naruto stood his ground as he looked hard at the tailed beast. To finally meet the thing that made his life a living hell. It was easy to see why; this beast was truly a monster. Tears formed behind his eyes as he continued to look at the fox. So many unpleasant childhood memories, the feeling of loneliness, anger, all of it came rushing back to him. It was all because of him. It was because of him that he lost his family. He lost his father and probably his mother. He decided he never wanted to see the tailed beast ever again. He couldn't face him anymore.

"**Why did you come here**? **What do you want with me**?" He asked.

Naruto hardened his eyes and fought back the tears. He stood strong. "I was going to ask you for help, but I've changed my mind. I don't need help from a useless fox. From now on I will use my own power." He began to walk away.

"**Useless, eh**! **And what do you plan to do**! **Without my power you are nothing**! **You need me**!"

Naruto turned around to face him again. "I plan on ignoring your existence, just like people used to ignore mine. I don't need your power."

"**COME BACK HERE**! **YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME**!" He began rattling his cage, "**YOU WILL BE BACK**!"

Naruto couldn't fight it anymore and so he turned violently with his left hand stretched outward. His Rinnegan full of defiance, "Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)"

The fox was thrown back hard and his eyes disappeared from the blackness behind the bars.

The Kyuubi was sent back to the other end of the cage. _**'Those eyes! I know I've seen it before!'**_

"**Wait boy**!" The Kyuubi needed to warn him about something, but it was too late.

Naruto closed his eyes and suddenly he felt the air around him swish by. He remembered that he was still free-falling.

His hands immediately reached up and ripped the blindfold off and activated his prized Doujutsu.

Remembering his fight with Pein, he clamped his hands together. _'If Pein can summon anything, then so can I. I need something that can fly…'_

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"

Below Naruto appeared a giant Hawk. The bird quickly rose up to the top of the cliff to drop him off.

At the edge of the cliff, where Naruto originally fell, was Jiraiya. He looked down at his pupil to see how he was doing. He was surprised to see a hawk bring him back up. _'When did he sign a Hawk contract?'_ He quickly took out his own toad contract that he always carried to double check. _'Yep this is for toads all right.'_

"Well how did it go? Did it work?" He asked as the bird landed.

Naruto jumped off while the hawk dismissed itself. "Yes it did."

"Great, that's a start I guess. Tomorrow we'll begin drawing upon it at will."

"No, I don't want to ever see the Kyuubi or his chakra again. Instead, if you don't mind, I want to work on sealing."

"Sure," He was slightly taken back but nevertheless he was still happy, "We'll start on it tomorrow. For now let's go get some food." Jiraiya smiled. _'He's just like his old man.'_

Naruto nodded and walked past the Toad Sage. As he walked past him though, he gave him a hard punch to the arm.

"Hey what was that for?" He asked while rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"For pushing me off a cliff."

"It worked didn't it?" He stuttered while watching his pupil continue to walk onwards without him. "Hey wait! I need to ask you about that hawk!"

/End Flashback/

A rare smile was etched on his face before he rolled over onto his shoulder. He could already tell he was going to like his new sensei, Jiraiya the toad sage. He was different from the others.

Soon though, his thoughts turned from his training with Jiraiya and on to Root. He was improving greatly. He was closer than ever to beating a regular Root squad with no trouble, but facing two of them was still challenging. It was because they had known each other for so long and complimented each other's fighting style.

Still, with the power he possessed he thought he would be able to beat them. Even the ideas he took from his fight with Pein didn't work out. For some reason, Pein was able to fight him with multiple bodies and make them work as a single unit. He knew those bodies were being controlled by some type of signals, but to be able to control them with such precision took skill.

It was because of them that he researched a jutsu that would help him fight more like Pein. That was when he came across the Shadow Clone technique. With that he was one step closer to becoming more powerful, but he still had a weakness, and that was that the clones kept interfering with each other.

Each clone using Shinra Tensei to repel attacks often made those repelled attacks hit the other clones, accidently of course.

Along with using shadow clones, he had secretly been testing out two more techniques he picked up from Pein. One was summoning. The only person to know he could summon anything was Jiraiya. The other, which he still had yet to try out, was mind reading. He didn't know how it worked yet, but he was going to try it during the chuunin exam if he got the chance.

He would need to work on figuring out his semi-permanent fighting style but for the moment he needed to sort out his thoughts about Pein.

Ever since his fight with Pein he had been curious as to what he was truly after.

Pein informed him of being a Jinchuuriki, along with mentioning the gods, the fates, as well as the very first Rikudou Sennin. Those concepts were still new to him, but what drove him crazy was what they had to do with him? What was Pein after? Did he want information on the Leaf Village? Was he going to attack it? No, he decided at last, he would have gone after someone who knew more than he did.

'_He said the Rinnegan appears when the world is in for a change. Does that mean I will change it?' _

He wasn't sure, but he figured that if he waited long enough, he would eventually find out. If it was a gift from the gods then it wasn't his power he was using, it was theirs. His purpose would show eventually if that was the case.

"From now on I will use my own power." He remembered saying that to the Fox a few weeks back.

So the question on his mind was, is the Rinnegan his power, or the gods? Did he rely on it too much?

Those were the questions that plagued his mind. "**Without my power you are nothing**!" He remembered the fox roaring at him. _'How much do I rely on the Rinnegan?'_

At first he wanted to believe that the Rinnegan was a random mutation, but after meeting Pein he knew that the odds of both having the same genetic mutation was very rare. By admitting that his Rinnegan was the tool of the gods would mean that it really wasn't his power.

He was able to easily turn down the fox, but now, should he turn down the Rinnegan?

He was determined to stay up all night until he knew the answer.

/Break/ Night before Chuunin Exam

Sakura watched as the sun slowly began its decent. Her mind was still full of questions and doubts. A few days ago, when Sasuke went looking for Naruto, she remembered having a small chat with Kakashi-sensei.

She was worried that she wasn't ready for the exam and confessed to her sensei that she felt as if she held the team back. The copy nin did his best to reassure her that she was fine, but she still couldn't help feel like Sasuke and Naruto were beyond catching up.

"The more you complain about it, the farther ahead they'll be. Why don't you try training on your own Sakura?" Kakashi had told her.

She knew he was right, but she never had the drive that Sasuke and Naruto possessed. For some reason or another she always found herself watching others train rather than doing any of her own.

She looked up and noticed the sun was now completely gone and the stars were about to show themselves. She leaned back onto the grassy plain so that she could gaze up at them.

Her mind began to drift back to team 7 before Naruto was a part of it. She could never forget how Arashi saved her life. It was in that sudden moment that she finally realized that Arashi died because she had been weak.

She remembered it so clearly. Sasuke and Arashi were trapped in a mirror-like dome and Kakashi was going toe to toe against Zabuza in a dense mist. She could still remember the fear and the tension as she looked towards the mist-covered bridge, praying that her two teammates were okay as she guarded the bridge builder with her life.

Suddenly Zabuza appeared before her and swung his massive sword from his left to right side at her. Her eyes closed in fear, but her death never came. She heard the loud ring of metal hitting metal, so she opened her eyes to see Arashi standing between her and the sword.

The sword would have normally cut right through him, along with Sakura and the bridge builder, except that he always wore a metal chest plate, but it didn't stop the blade completely, it only slowed it down. The sword was about three inches deep into his chest. Blood covered the blade as Zabuza tried to pull it away, but Arashi held onto it.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" His voice faded quickly. It became more and more like a whisper. His legs began to collapse beneath him.

That gave Kakashi enough time to strike up his favorite technique, the Chidori. Of course Zabuza avoided certain death by letting go of his sword and vanishing back into the mist.

She didn't remember the rest of the fight, but she knew Zabuza died to save Haku's life when his unconscious body was being kicked around by Gato later on.

She later found out from Sasuke that he and Arashi worked together so that he could escape from Haku. His first priority was to make sure she was safe, like it always had been. He later died on the bridge.

Because of his actions, he was able to save Sakura, the bridge builder, and to some extent, Sasuke by distracting Haku.

Remembering his death brought tears to her eyes. _'No more!'_ She thought. _'I won't let another teammate die protecting me. It will catch up to them, one way or another.'_

She stood tall with her head still cranked to the heavens. _'There is still time to do something about it.' _

With new-founded determination she sped off to find someone that could help her. _'I know my strengths are chakra control and my intelligence. Maybe he'll know what style fits me best.'_

She was hoping to find Kakashi-sensei before it was too late.

/Break/ Night before Chuunin Exam

Sasuke sat on his bed, alone, staring at a picture of his murdered family. In the picture he could see his loving parents along with himself and his older brother, Itachi. He was the source of all his anger.

He glared at the photo for what seemed like hours and he thought back to the last few weeks and how much he's improved. He would have liked to have taken all the credit for it, but it was solely because of Naruto that he pushed himself to the limit every day.

He wouldn't rest until he could beat him. Since that day he lost to him, he had been training non-stop on his clan's jutsu and training techniques. Sometimes he would forfeit sleep if it meant he would succeed at learning a new jutsu or strategy. He would give his entire being if it meant power.

It was because of Naruto that his old nightmares would return. They were filled with his brother killing his clan while telling him to cling to life pathetically. To live a cowardly life because he was weak and couldn't measure up to the clan name. He wasn't worth killing. Still, they always ended the same way. Itachi would let him live, but always say those haunted words. "Kill the person closest to you to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan."

The problem was that he didn't have any friends; mostly because he was consumed with hatred so much that he deemed it unimportant. Now though, with Naruto as another obstacle standing in his way, he thought more and more about it, but who would be his closest friend?

It was all a painful reminder that he would never avenge his clan.

He stood up quickly and walked out of his empty house. His eyes were blood red with vengeance and determination. With two black tomoes spinning wildly in each eye, he would continue until he perfected his newest technique.

'_I won't let Naruto defeat me. Even if it means the end of me, I won't let him.'_ He then looked up to the moon hanging in the sky, _'I WILL kill you, Itachi. Your time will end; I'll make sure it will.'_

He walked out into the middle of the woods. He needed a quick warm up before he began on his newest technique.

He glanced around to see that everything was already set up.

Scattered across the area were several small planks of wood with targets on them.

Sasuke stood in the clearing, closed his eyes as he felt the many kunai in his hands. He let the thoughts of all the powerful nin that would be competing in the chuunin exam guide him. Within a second he was up in the air, twirling as he let loose the multiple kunai towards their targets. He hit them all in the center, even the one hidden behind a small boulder.

He smirked. _'I'm catching up Itachi…'_

/Break/ Day of the Chuunin Exam

Naruto woke up earlier than he thought he would. He figured it was due to the excitement that he was feeling. He quickly took a shower, put on his new cloths, ate breakfast, grabbed his application form, and headed for the door.

He knew where he was supposed to meet up with his team but first he had to stop off and meet with his former sensei, Danzou, for a quick meeting. He wasn't far off and it seemed that he was waiting for him near his home.

It only took a few minutes to discuss what he needed Naruto to do, and soon, he was off again. This time he was headed to meet up with his team.

It only took minutes of traveling before he found them standing on the same bridge they always did.

Naruto was the last to arrive (with the exception of Kakashi of course) to find his team ready. He was surprised to see that they seemed much different from a few days before.

Sasuke was no longer wearing his blue shirt and tan shorts, but was wearing an entirely black outfit with red wrappings on his wrist and ankles and silver armor on his chest and forearms. His clan crest was still displayed proudly on his back. Naruto could have sworn that they were pieces of Anbu armor but he let it slide. He guessed that the Uchiha dug out his older brother's belongings.

Sakura was wearing something different as well. She no longer wore a simple red dress with the circle on the back. Now, she wore a red and white shirt with black shorts that was still above her knees. Along with having black gloves with small metal plates on the top of the hands and black shinobi sandals, she also had wrappings around her right leg and left arm. The last bit that he noticed was the very small backpack that she had with her.

He felt comfortable knowing that she was finally taking things seriously. He didn't know what happened to her to make her change her mind, but he was thankful for whatever it was.

Sakura thought for sure she would be the only one with a wardrobe change, but she assumed that they all went through some type of change. She noted Sasuke's new outfit changed, but she also noted Naruto and his change.

He wore black shorts with an orange vest over a black, long-sleeve shirt. He still held onto his black shinobi sandals along with his black forehead protector. His outfit was simple but it meant so much more than she could have imagined.

Naruto wore the orange vest not only because he liked the color, but because it reminded him of the fox and his orange chakra. He swore he would never use it, to never depend on something so evil.

It kept him always thinking of what he was. He was not the Jinchuuriki of the Hidden Leaf, but the son of the great Namikaze Minato. He was a proud member of the Leaf. He would forever protect it within the shadows of Root.

"So are we ready?" He asked as he produced his application form.

The others nodded as they did the same.

"Let's head to room 301 then." Sasuke took charge as he led the group.

Naruto didn't mind as he held back. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself when they got there. This way, he would be able to reflect on what Danzou had told him earlier, "Remember Naruto, self-sacrifice – that is what defines a ninja. Scorning the sun – to work in the shadows – that is how it has always been. That is a true ninja."

As he and his two teammates continued on their destination, he focused on what Danzou said. He knew what most of it meant. Self-sacrifice, we must give everything we can, even our very souls. Scorning the sun, to give up things such as friends and loved ones. To work in the shadows, to work without the sun, without social connections, or the comforts of life. To know only the rules and the blade. That is a true ninja.

But standing behind his new teammates, he wondered, was it worth becoming a true ninja? Was his father one?

He didn't know for sure yet, but he was still very cautious of Danzou and the Hokage. He didn't like that they, and the whole village, were probably keeping secrets from him. He felt like everyone knew something he didn't and it bugged him.

He was snapped out of his day dreaming as they entered the building where the Chuunin exams were taking place.

When they entered, they climbed the first set of stairs before they were met with a hallway full of chuunin hopefuls.

After getting a closer look to see what was going on, they saw two chuunins guarding the door with the numbers 301.

Naruto looked at his team and saw that they too had noticed the genjutsu placed on the number. He spotted it as soon as he saw it, but he didn't want to say anything. The blonde wanted to see how everything would play out.

"I said no one is getting past! This test is tough and the way we see it, we're doing you guys a favor." One of the two chuunin guards said.

"I don't care about that, but you will let us pass." Naruto said in a tired tone as he walked up to the chuunin guards. He didn't have time to play around.

"Remove that stupid Genjutsu while you're at it." Sasuke said as he walked up next to Naruto.

Everyone in the room seemed to whisper to themselves in confusion.

Sasuke saw that Sakura was unusually quiet, "Sakura, you have the best analytical skills on our team. Surely you saw it."

She nodded before turning to the group of chuunin hopefuls while explaining that they were only on the second floor while the numbers said 301.

"Impressive, but all you did was see through it!" One of the guards rushed towards them in an attempt to fight.

Naruto was about to step forward but Sasuke beat him too it. _'He is always so eager to fight. Oh well, this gives me a chance to hide among the crowd.'_

Before Sasuke and the guard could clash, a man in green spandex outfit flashed between them and stopped them both.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He had wished he had his Rinnegan active so that he could see if it was Nin, Gen, or Tai Jutsu. Still, he shrugged as he watched the man return to his team, only to bicker with his teammate about how they didn't want to draw attention to them.

Naruto stopped caring at the moment and walked by them. He didn't want anyone to notice him.

Sasuke remained quiet as he tried to follow Naruto and Sakura through the door, but he was stopped.

"What's your name?" The question belonged to the teammate of the green spandex wearing shinobi.

"It's customary to give one's own name first before asking for others."

"How old are you?" He asked in annoyance.

"I don't have to tell you that," he said finally before catching up to his teammates.

Naruto was leaning against a wall with Sakura standing next to him. "What took you?"

"They wanted to know my name."

"It seems like you make friends everywhere you go. Come on, let's go."

They continued onward, trying to ignore the slight distraction from before. It didn't take very long until another one appeared.

"Hey, guy with the dark eyes," A voice called from above.

The three turned around to see the green spandex wearing shinobi from before. He was standing on ledge high above them.

"What is it that you want?" Sasuke asked in annoyance.

"Will you fight me?"

Sasuke smirked, as the man jumped down from where he was. "Yea, I'll fight you."

"Hurry up Sasuke, we've only got 30 minutes before we need to be there." Naruto was growing weary of all the distractions. Sure he was excited about all the fighting, but he still didn't want to draw too much attention to the team.

"Don't worry Naruto," he smirked at his opponent once again, "it'll only take me five minutes."

Normally Naruto would be jealous that Sasuke was getting all the attention, but right now, that was what he was hoping for. He knew that as soon as he showed his Rinnegan, everyone would want to fight him and it would hinder the team greatly if everyone went after them. It was his way of keeping the team safe. _'Everyone seems so eager to prove themselves. Why is that?'_

"My name is Rock Lee. What is yours?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"It will be a pleasure to fight you Uchiha Sasuke, but I must warn you, I am the strongest Leaf Genin this year."

Sasuke wanted to laugh. He knew that title belonged to his teammate Naruto but nevertheless he was curious as to Rock Lee's claim.

Naruto was excited about the fight, especially after Rock Lee's claim of being the strongest. He would get to see how much Sasuke had improved over the weeks and to also get some insight on his new opponent. But before the fight began, he looked over to Sakura who seemed a little worried.

"Don't worry Sakura. I'm sure Sasuke will be fine." He said before looking back to the two fighters. He watched as Sasuke propelled himself forward for a head on assault. He decided he would make the first move.

As he rushed towards Lee, he noticed his movements, but he couldn't follow him. Because of this, he quickly ended up on the floor.

Sasuke recovered quickly while studying his opponent. _'What was that? Nin? Gen? Tai?'_ He immediately activated his Sharingan. "I'll see through your technique soon enough."

Lee gave no sort of smile as he continued to hold onto his determined look.

Sasuke charged headfirst again, this time with his Sharingan taking the lead.

Naruto watched, and even winched, as Sasuke was kicked in the jaw and sent flying up into the air. Lee immediately leapt up after him.

Sakura shrieked in surprised as she saw her beloved Sasuke launched into the air.

"Calm down Sakura," Naruto said with his Rinnegan active, "Sasuke's got this."

Lee entered Sasuke's shadow and began giving him a speech about hard work vs. genius while unwrapping his bandages around his hands and wrists.

Sasuke listened to him, all the while smirking. When he felt that Lee was no longer paying close attention, he dove into action by maneuvering the wires he had hidden around his body.

Lee had no clue what was happening, and before he could do anything about it, both him and Sasuke were wrapped together by ninja wire.

"What a strange technique!" Lee said as he began to wrap Sasuke with his bandages. "But that won't stop me."

"What were you saying about genius vs. hard work?" He smiled and began going into action but before he could do anything else, a random kunai soared through the air and cut the wires and bandages between them.

Lee jumped away from Sasuke while Sasuke jumped away from Lee after they had landed.

Both landed a respectable distance from each other before a turtle appeared.

Sasuke quickly rejoined his group while they watched the turtle yell at Lee, before his Jounin instructor appeared.

After a quick introduction, they learned that his name was Gai, and that he was Kakashi-sensei's eternal rival. He was also the inspiration for Lee, which explained his…odd style.

Soon, after Gai vanished in a puff of smoke, Lee left as well after telling him that he lied to him and that the strongest leaf genin was actually a member of his team.

Naruto was severely lost by all the insanity.

When only three of them remained, Naruto looked over at Sasuke, "Was it just me, or did it look like you were about to lose?"

Sasuke turned his head to face him, "I had him. I just didn't expect for him to wrap me up. Next time I'll watch out for him."

"That or I'll interfere and save you." Naruto smirked before walking away.

Sasuke couldn't help but give a small smile as he followed him.

Sakura on the other hand, noticed the bond between them. It was slowly starting to develop. _'It looks like they are both starting to understand and respect each other. Hopefully I'll be able to join them, but first I need to be on their level.'_

She couldn't see, however, that their bond went so much deeper than it appeared. Sasuke and Naruto covered the tension between them using small jokes that centered on their strength (or lack of), but underneath their behavior lay something much farther from the truth.

At first Sasuke covered his hatred for the man, mainly because he wasn't used to being second to anyone, by ignoring him.

However, as the few weeks passed, the more Sasuke respected him and even tried to earn his approval by improving himself. He saw the blond as more than just a rival, but an obstacle between himself and his goal of avenging his clan. He was his final stepping stone to a greater level. The Uchiha still hated the blonde, but at least now he respected him enough to let him get away with his antics.

Naruto, on the other hand, saw Sasuke as a potential rival. He noted his improvements but he still didn't quite see them as a threat. Still though, after his talk with Kakashi during his first C-rank mission, he began to respect the Uchiha, not because of his skill, but because of his sheer determination and the fact that he knew what he wanted from life. He sympathized with him because he too grew up. It was something that helped him understand.

A few minutes later all three approached room 301. They found their lazy sensei waiting outside the door.

"Well this is the first time you beat us anywhere sensei." Sakura said with good cheer.

Kakashi's visible eye seemed to smile as he welcomed his squad.

"I'm glad all three of you decided to take the exam. Now you qualify to take it."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, "I thought this was an individual choice?"

"No that was a lie. You must have a team of three in order to take the test. I only said that so no one felt pressured." He looked over at Sakura momentarily.

"Behind me is the door to the chuunin exams. Do you still want to take it?"

He received nods from all three.

"Alright then, I wish you three the best of luck." He smiled beneath his mask as his pupils past him and made their way to the door. Sasuke and Naruto entered immediately but Sakura remained behind.

"Kakashi-sensei, I just wanted to thank you for your help." She rubbed her head sheepishly.

The copy-nin waved her off. "It was no problem Sakura," he then turned away while giving a small wave. "Good luck."

Sakura turned slowly, and then entered the door.

When she was gone, Kakashi turned to face the entrance to the chuunin exam. He knew that behind that door his pupils where standing tall.

He then thought back to last night when Sakura had met up with him. She caught him reading his Icha Icha books but nevertheless he put it down in order to talk with her.

She had come for advice on what she was suited for. Naturally, with having perfect chakra control and an unusually high intelligence, he advised her to practice genjutsu or medical ninjutsu.

She then asked him to teach her a basic genjutsu and when he told her that it was too late and should wait till after the chuunin exam, she told him no. She wouldn't accept that. He sighed heavily and taught her the most basic genjutsu he knew. Still, he didn't know if she mastered it or not. Only time would tell.

He gave a small smile for his team and walked away. He didn't know how they would fare against the other chuunin hopefuls from the other villages, but all he could do was have faith in them.

/Break/

Naruto and Sasuke filed into a room that had a bunch of seating and desks. He could tell that this was either the meeting place before the chuunin exam or that this room would somehow be involved.

He then noticed that Sakura was gone but within seconds she had caught up to them.

"Alright guys, let's try to make it through this with as little trouble as possible." As soon as Naruto finished, he was assaulted by the other leaf genin.

"Sasuke-kun!" A blonde-haired girl jumped on Sasuke's back, "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Get off him Ino-pig!"

"Tch, troublesome," Ino's teammate followed her over to Sasuke.

"Well, it has been a long time since we've seen each other." Another boy stated as he too made his way over with his team behind him. Atop his head was a small dog that would occasionally bark a few times.

"Ah Naruto," A kid, whose face was completely covered, said as he walked over next to the boy with the dog, "I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"

'_Wow, I didn't expect Shino to say so much.'_ The boy with the dog thought as he looked over at his teammate.

"I've been good, thank you Shino." He replied back. He was still surprised that he remembered them so well.

"So Naruto, I heard something interesting about you. Is it true that you possess the Rinnegan?"

The blonde looked over to see Shikamaru standing next to him. '_That guy is always the observant one.'_

"Yea Naruto!" Ino shouted, "Do you?"

By now he saw that he gained the rest of the leaf genins attention. He didn't really feel like showing his prized doujutsu in front of a room full of foreign shinobi so he just replied simply with, "you'll just have to wait and see."

Secretly though he wanted to tell them that the Rinnegan was just another shinobi tool. Before, he thought it was a power from the gods, but the night before he solidified his thoughts on it and he came to the conclusion that the Rinnegan was just a shinobi tool. It was still given by the gods, but a shinobi tool nonetheless and that he shouldn't rely on it as much. That was when it would become a weakness, not strength.

"W-wow N-Naruto-kun, you sure have c-changed a lot over o-over the years." A girl was standing nervously next to Kiba.

The Namikaze glanced at the girl. He knew she was a Hyuuga from her eyes alone. _'She's still so unconfident. I suppose not one of them really changed over the years. Did they even care what happened to me?'_

"Naruto, didn't you graduate from the academy a few years back?" Kiba asked.

"Yea, why do you ask?"

"Well why haven't you taken the chuunin exam before now?"

"Because I needed two other teammates, along with a teacher, before I could attempt the chuunin exam."

"Well what did you in the meantime?" Chouji asked between bites. He was eating potato chips.

"It doesn't matter now." Naruto just wanted to get away from them because they were creating a scene. "I'm here now."

The other leaf genins where looking at him strangely. Most were thinking along the same lines. _'He isn't the happy-go-lucky boy from before…what happened to you Naruto?'_

It was strange for them, because most remembered him being a dead-last. All too suddenly though he progressed quickly and graduated in a year. It was something that no one could explain.

"Is it true that you're the son of the Fourth Hokage?" Chouji asked. "That was what my father told me anyways."

"Yes," Naruto admitted quite proudly.

The others began asking more questions when they were interrupted.

"You guys are creating quite a scene." A friendly voice came from outside the small group. "It's dangerous to set yourself apart here."

"And who are you?" Kiba asked in curiosity.

"My name is Kabuto. But it's not me you should be worried about, take a look behind you."

The genins turned to see the rest of the room looking at them.

"Don't worry about them though," he said warmly, "They're just nervous. There are a bunch of rumors floating around about someone with the Rinnegan is taking this test."

Naruto mentally sighed.

"Don't worry though; they don't know which one of you has it so they are cautious of all Konoha shinobi. Even me!" He chuckled at the last part as he pushed up his glasses.

The rest of the leaf genins looked at Naruto as he tried hard not to face palm. It was a dead give away to others who had been listening to Kabuto. _'Oh well. I guess I'll just have to face any opponent who challenges me.'_

Naruto momentarily scanned the room for potential opponents when he spotted the Suna team from a few days prior. It was strange seeing them as competition rather than enemies. That was when he got to look at them in a different light.

His eyes scanned through Kankurou and Gaara but he stopped when he looked at Temari. For some reason his eyes lingered more than they should have, but because they did, he was able to see her confident posture as well as her tough demeanor. It was something he wasn't used to seeing very often and he found it…appealing. _'Finally,' _he thought_, 'a woman who takes things seriously.'_

He was so used to fan girls surrounding Sasuke that it made him a little disappointed in all kinouchi. It made him wonder if other types of girls existed.

He watched her far longer than he should of as he noted the smaller details, like how soft her skin seemed, or her confident smile…

Finally he snapped out of his trance when he noticed movement among the crowd. He could see that they were from Hidden Sound village.

He looked over to see that Kabuto was showing stats on other shinobi to the group of leaf genin. The blonde wanted to warn him, but something told him to watch the Sound genin. He might learn their techniques.

Just as predicted, the sound nin attacked Kabuto for calling them weak, although Naruto wasn't paying attention during that particular part, but they made sure to get the message across to Kabuto.

The Namikaze saw Kabuto dodge all their attacks very clearly but Kabuto still knelt down and vomited. Something was not right. He analyzed what had happened. _'It had to have been that device on that man's arm. He swiped it in front of Kabuto and he instantly went down…I'll have to stay clear of them until I figure it out.' _ One thing he noted was Kabuto's glasses. The glasses broke into several pieces, which was impossible if he had dodged a simple punch.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE," a booming voice filled the air as twenty or so proctors appeared at the front of the room, "I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner of the chuunin exam's first test!"

**A/N**: I think right here will be a good place to stop. The next chapter will be fun to write, especially since you get to see Naruto fight fully with someone (can you guess who?). You also might see the new technique Sakura and Sasuke learned. It's going to get interesting. Also, I get to write a Madara and Pein scene (those are my favorite to write).

Next I would like to say that the links to their outfits will be on my profile page.

Now for answered common questions or comments I received.

1) Naruto is 12 years old, Temari is 15. After obvious time skip Naruto will be 16 and Temari will be 19.

2) I will not be giving Naruto the curse seal or as one reviewer put it, the "gay phetophile orochimarus water down demon hicky". That was perhaps the funniest thing I've ever read and, with your permission, will use it later on. I seriously almost fell out of my chair laughing.

3) Pein will talk to Naruto again although not for some time. I wanted everyone to know what type of character Pein is. As demonstrated, he firmly believes in fate and that he is the "chosen one" who will bring peace to the world. In order to do that, he must collect all Bijuu, so what happens to his faith system if one of the Bijuu also has the Rinnegan? Who is now the chosen one? How will Naruto fit in with all of this, well you'll just have to wait.

4) I will never intentionally character bash. Characters may bash each other though. I admire all the characters in the manga and try to show them in their best light. Now most of you have already noticed but Naruto's appearance has drastically changed how Sasuke and Sakura think and act as well as their skill level. Sasuke is still in character development at the moment but he will emerge slightly different and Sakura wants nothing more than to catch up to her two teammates in skill level although she will change a little over time as well.

5) I would also like to give thanks to **n u l l is b o r e d** for pointing out my mistake as well as **Whispers in your head** for pointing out others. I will fix them later on this week.

6) Some might wonder why years of loyalty towards Root might be thrown away just by having Naruto meet Pein. It was because Pein made it clear by all the questions that Naruto was left in the dark about a lot of things. It's not that he hates Danzou or Root, quite the contrary; it's that he's just a little more cautious of everyone, not just Danzou or Root. Something I'm trying to convey is that Naruto is very…curious and a little paranoid. He doesn't like secrets, especially when it deals with his own past. Later on in the story you'll find just how much he hates secrets. This little bit of info will determine much of the later part of the series. I don't want to give anything away but just think of Danzou's arm. I have a lot planned around that. Just a little food for thought.

7) Lastly, if you want to know the type of character Naruto is slowly becoming. Think of Minato and Jiraiya. I don't know if I did a good job as a writer but I wanted it to be obvious that he is inspired by his father and wants to surpass him but (will eventually) be inspired by Jiraiya. It's the only goal for him worth having. Soon, though, he'll find that it takes much more than strength to surpass his old man.

I've worked out almost my entire story and so far everything looks good. The only way it will change is if some great new element was added from the Manga but I can already see where the Manga is headed (they, of course, are just assumptions though).

I hope I didn't give away too much of this story.

- Now for my excuse-

I received a very short notice about a family get-together in another state that lasted a few weeks and somehow I forgot my flash drive. Then, on the plane back, I arrived to find all of Oklahoma was in a snow storm. I was stuck for quite a while at a friend's house before I could make the dangerous trek home. It's been an exhausting and very boring week but at least on the plane I was able to set up my entire story as well as each chapter. I hope you guys will really enjoy this story, especially the end. It's never been done before (to my knowledge at least).

- End of excuse-

I was also going to start updating my other story _Blue Ghost_ but it didn't really get that much attention so I will just focus on this one for now.

I hope no one is lost or confused during this story. If so, just let me know and I'll clarify it next chapter.

If there are any grammar/spelling mistakes, please let me know.

Like always, thanks for reading and please review.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: First I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. I am happy to have made it over 100 reviews! Also, I would like to say that the reviews have been inspiring because I didn't plan on writing the next chapter for a long while, but the surprising amount, as well as what was said, made me get off my lazy bum and write.

Second I would like to say that I will be addressing some of the things that people have mentioned in reviews at the end of the chapter.

Third, do some of you really think this is better than my other story? I really liked that story and I thought the plot to it was good. I guess I'll just have to focus on this one for now until you change your minds.

Fourth, I would like to thank all those that told me this was one of the top or one of the best Naruto-with-Rinnegan stories they've read. I know they were being nice but it still inspired me to do better and continue. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 7: The Chuunin Exam pt 1

"I am assuming it didn't go as planned?" Madara asked. He was in the usual chamber, which was in one of the highest rooms in Hidden Rain's tallest industrial tower. Somehow he sounded concerned.

He already knew the answer to his question because he had Zetsu record the entire fight so that he could watch it later. He was unsure as to how Pein would handle the loss though.

"Unfortunately no," Pein started off slowly, he was still trying to find the right words to say. "I have a feeling that our paths will cross again. For now though, I will focus on Hanzou and the Hidden Rain."

The Akatsuki nin then turned his head to look longingly over his village. He truly missed it while he was away. He liked the misery the rain brought the people, because it was a constant reminder of Hanzou's tyranny as well as a symbol of Yahiko.

Yahiko hated the rain because it reminded him of the tears that were brought by war. _'Just a little longer Yahiko, and this place will stop crying. Just a little longer…'_

"I am curious," Madara dared to ask, "What would you have done if you had defeated Namikaze Naruto and brought him back?"

Pein didn't turn to answer him; instead, he continued to look out over his village through the opening in the wall. He was in deep thought, but he still responded. "I don't know," he said with uncertainty, "but he didn't seem to have any desire to bring world peace. Actually," he paused, "he didn't seem to know much at all on what was happening around him."

Pein continued after giving a loud sigh, "I suppose I would have shown him how to achieve peace." His voice was calm as he let the melody of the rain relax him, "By using my own village as an example."

"So you would have recruited him to our cause?"

"It would have been easier that way," he turned to him suddenly; "It would have saved us the trouble of capturing him later. Still, I feel a little at ease. Maybe his purpose is different from mine. For now I will let it play out."

Madara nodded in agreement. Sure he didn't agree completely with Pein but for now he would let him play "Boss". He didn't need to interfere with this matter yet.

Pein decided to break the silence between them. "So, where is this new recruit?" He asked.

"You mean Haku?" Madara responded, "He is off on an errand."

Pein arched an eyebrow. "An errand?"

"Yes," Madara crossed his arms while he leaned back comfortably against a wall, "I will be leaving shortly and I plan on taking him with me."

"That seems unusual of you Madara. You usually travel alone."

"It is, but I have a reason for it." He turned his head away from Pein as he drifted off into his own memories, "I remember watching most of his clansmen utilizing their jutsu during my time as Mizukage. I plan on teaching him their ways in hopes of making him stronger."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because he wishes to be a useful tool, and I am in need of a sharp tool."

Pein looked at him with no expression. "Do with him as you wish." He said as he began walking off so that he could find Konan. Before he got to the door, however, he stopped and turned around. "Have you given him a ring yet?"

Madara nodded negatively.

Pein reached into his pocket and produced an extra ring. "You are not the only one in need of sharp tools. Tell him that he will report to me as long as he is a part of Akatsuki." He flipped the ring to Madara.

Madara easily caught the ring, "Don't worry, Haku is a good boy." He then looked at the ring in his palm thoughtfully, "Hm, I originally planned on giving my ring to Haku but I guess I can find another recruit."

"You are not going to wear a ring?"

"Not yet, it is too early for me to reveal myself. For now I shall seek out a man as old as myself. He calls himself Kakuzu. He is a very well known bounty hunter."

"How will you find him?"

"I won't. I plan on sending Sasori and Deidara on this mission. This mission will also test on how well those two work together."

Pein nodded in agreement. He really didn't care. In the end it didn't matter to him who was wearing the rings, as long as they helped him achieve his ultimate goal of sealing the Bijuu then it didn't matter.

/Break/

After the little incident with the Sound Genin, the proctor began giving out the normal instructions. He informed the chuunin candidates that the first part of the Chuunin exam was a written one, but with rules.

Naruto stood patiently, along with the rest of the chuunin hopefuls, while Ibiki started writing the guidelines for the test on the chalk board that was situated in front of the large room. The system seemed simple enough for him. Everyone started with 10 points. You get caught cheating, you lose 2 points. You miss a question, you lose a point.

He was, however, taken back that this was a team test and that if one member of the team lost all 10 points, then all three failed.

'_Luckily that won't happen to us. I'm sure it won't be too hard and all of us are pretty smart. I'm sure we'll do fine.' _

Soon they were all seated and the test was underway. It only took a few minutes after reading through all the questions that no normal genin was supposed to understand how to do these. Even with the training in Root he never went over high level math or even the angles of kunai in flight. The way he learned to do most things was through practice on the field, not math on a piece of paper.

He then realized that one was supposed to cheat in order to pass and that the main objective was to not get caught. It only took seconds after that for him to begin cheating.

He was fortunate enough to be sitting next to Hinata, a girl from his academy class before he graduated. What was special about her was her eye technique called the Byakugan. This technique allowed her to see in 360 degrees around her, she would be useful during this test.

He supposed he could be elaborate and try using the techniques that were taught to him by Danzou and Root, but he never really practiced them in an environment such as this, and with so much at stake, he felt it logical, as well as practical to just glance over at her paper. He gave a faint smile because Hinata wasn't even paying attention to him at the moment. She had no idea.

It only took a few minutes to copy what she had down. He noticed that she still lacked a few of the answers, so he went ahead and used his own eye technique to find the rest of the answers. He looked over to see her activate her Byakugan as she tried to find the others.

'_Nah, I've already relied on her too much. It's time to put in a little work of my own and find the last four questions.' _

Within a few minutes he had the rest of them down, except the last one. It stated that the examiner would reveal it forty five minutes after the test began.

He looked up at the clock and realized he had a little bit of time left to go. It was time to relax.

As he waited, he heard several people being called out and asked to leave. He watched them while wondering if Sakura or Sasuke would be called out. They never were.

"Alright everyone, listen up," Examiner Ibiki spoke loudly over the room, making sure to get everyone's attention, "We will now begin the tenth question."

Naruto looked up at the man as he absent mindedly grabbed his pencil, ready to write anything down.

He was surprised to find out that this was no ordinary question.

The Namikaze spent the next few minutes as he listened to Ibiki discuss the rules to the question and the decisions that go along with it. Basically he said that the question was optional. Choose to take it and get it wrong, meant that you would be forced to stay a genin forever, but choose to not take it resulted in automatic failing, but it also gave you a chance to take it again next time.

While other people moaned and complained, he quietly thought of the choices in his head. Ultimately he decided to take the question because he would rather risk taking it than leaving. He made that decision because leaving meant that he would have to stay with Team 7 until the next time the chuunin exams came around. _'I don't think I could survive that long.'_ He thought to himself in a joking manner, _'Hell I don't even know how I survived these last few months with them.'_

Although his thoughts were meant to be humorous, he couldn't help but feel a small amount of guilt in it_. _But that wasn't his only deciding factor. He knew that there was more to this question than the obvious, but he didn't know what exactly. _'I'm sure there is something is off about this question. There has to be something I overlooked…'_

He stole a quick glance at Sasuke and then to Sakura. He knew they were both too determined to quit, so he felt safe.

After what seemed like an eternity, the proctor finally believed that the weaker willed genins had left. "To everyone still here," He said to the remaining genin, "Congratulations, you have passed the first test."

Naruto closed his eyes and relaxed as he sank back in his chair. It was the best news he could have received. He could hear the protesting in the crowd of seated genin behind him as he relaxed again. He briefly wondered why they were upset. They passed, right?

He then placed his pencil down and heard it roll. He smiled. _'So that was it? I should have seen underneath the underneath…' _

He felt a little dumb but at least he knew to look underneath the underneath in the next part of the test. He also carried a slightly new perspective on things. He gave a sigh of relief. _'One down, two to go.'_

Naruto looked back up just in time to see Ibiki lift up his headgear to reveal scars, burn marks, and other ghastly things on the top of his head.

It was a real eye opener on what things were to come and what life as a shinobi entailed. Sure he was taught in Root about espionage or assassinations, but never did they mention what would happen if you were to fail. The horrors that ninjas were put through for the sake of the village were always an eye opener.

He listened closely to the words Ibiki said as he discussed what the first nine questions were all about, as well as what the tenth question truly meant. He was slightly impressed. It was what he had been taught growing up in Root, except from a different perspective. '_I should have seen that coming.'_

It didn't take long for Ibiki to be interrupted.

CRASH

A woman plowed through the left wall of the room. It was the next examiner and her name was Mitarashi Anko. Naruto's first impression – she was definitely different.

Crazy would have been a better word to use.

/Break/

The examiner was nothing like Naruto was expecting. He assumed the next proctor would be like Ibiki, but eventually he shrugged it off and told himself that everyone was different - especially her.

Soon enough the remaining chuunin hopefuls were in front of a massive training area that was surrounded by a tall fence. It was commonly known as Area 44. She excitedly informed them that it was also referred to as the Forest of Death, and he didn't doubt it.

He tilted his head back slightly so he could see exactly how high the trees grew. Their height seemed unreal, and quite intimidating. He was wondering what creatures could live in such a place.

Anko immediately went into what the test was about, but he didn't pay much attention. Instead, he chose to scan the crowd.

It wasn't long before he found her, standing confidently with her team.

He didn't know why he looked over at her, but he didn't care. Naruto rarely found anything he really liked, so he figured he might as well as admire her for as long as he could because there was no guarantee that she would make it pass the next round, but he felt confident that she would because her team was the only one he felt necessary to watch – especially Gaara. There was something wrong with that sand nin if he was capable of scaring his teammates.

He saw her shift uncomfortably as the proctor continued. He gave a small frown, but he didn't know why. He almost felt as if he wanted to go talk to her.

"Pay attention!" A kunai whizzed by Naruto's face, almost scratching his cheek.

"Very impressive for you to dodge that brat," Anko said as she reappeared behind him, "I was hoping to get a taste of blood before we got started." Her face was uncomfortably close to his with her left hand on his shoulder and the right with a kunai pressed against the back of his neck, threateningly close to cutting his spine.

"Maybe you will?" He asked as the kunai in his left hand tapped against her inner left leg. It was the blunt side so it didn't cut her. His voice seemed confident and the question was more or less an ultimatum.

Anko deadpanned. _'When did he?'_ She shook it off as she began straightening up her posture and putting away her kunai. She smiled as she made her way to the front while ignoring the whispers of the other genins. Hopefully her reputation wasn't already tarnished by the blonde genin. _'So this is the one with the Rinnegan. He's already impressed me. There's no doubt he'll pass this round.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto's teammates looked at him in surprise. Both were not able to follow Anko's movement so they were shocked to see that he had. They didn't know that he had been trained by Root.

Sasuke only looked surprised for a second though before he scoffed and looked away. He was sure he could have followed her movements if his Sharingan was active. He was positive...

Naruto then notice that Sasuke and Sakura went back to paying attention to their proctor. He looked around to see a few other chuunin hopefuls still staring at him. _'I shouldn't have made a scene. I guess it could not have been helped considering I acted on instinct.'_

He then looked up to see that she was now going over the objectives. It, like the first test, seemed simple enough if broken down. All in all, the task was simple – arrive in the center of the tower with both types of scrolls. The Heaven and Earth Scroll.

All too soon he found himself sitting with his group. They were currently filling out the contracts given to them by Anko.

"What does it mean when it says death? Does this mean we could die?" Sakura said while reading over the paper. Her mind drifted back to her old teammate.

"Yes," Naruto answered, "killing might be required in this one. It's either that, or be killed."

"Do you think-"

"Sakura, do you want to remain a genin forever?" Sasuke asked bluntly, "Because if you don't, then sign it. There is no other way around it."

Naruto looked over towards the Uchiha. He should have known Sasuke would be less tactful than himself when dealing with uncertainty.

"Naruto, what do you think?" She was too scared to tell them that she didn't believe that she was ready for this. _'I didn't think the possibility of death would be involved. I don't want anyone to die again. Arashi…'_

"I agree with Sasuke. Eventually you'll have to sign that, so you might as well do it now." Naruto then looked down at his penmanship. He liked it.

"Sakura," He added when he saw her hesitate, "Don't worry, me and Sasuke have your back."

She smiled weakly and signed it. It helped her more than she could imagine, even if she didn't know it.

"Clever," Sasuke said as he looked at the registration booth, "they make sure no one else can see who has what scroll or who in the team is carrying it."

"Hm, that is something we'll have to decide on- any takers?" Naruto found it humorous. He didn't think he would be handling the situation so lightly, especially on something so important. He really didn't care who on his team carried it because he was already in confident in his team's performance as well as his own. To him, it didn't matter who carried the scroll. '_I can take anyone here. I'm not too worried about the scroll.' _

"I'll take it," Sasuke offered almost immediately.

Naruto figured that it was something Sasuke has to prove to himself. He figured he might as well let him have it since most will think he has it anyway. Before making up his mind completely, he looked over to Sakura to see if she objected. She didn't.

"Alright Sasuke, you can carry it for now. I'm sure it won't take us long to get through this anyway, certainly not five days." Naruto thought aloud. He looked over to see the Sand team come from the booth. They looked calm and collected – like always.

He wanted to go and talk to her, but something else snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Naruto," Sakura grabbed his attention, "We're being called up."

It only took a few seconds to hand in their forms and only a few more for the curtains to close around them.

"Team 7 of Konoha," one of them started out saying, "Your instructor is Hatake Kakashi, correct?"

They nodded.

"Alright, everything seems to be in order. Here is your Heaven scroll." He handed it over to Sakura who was the first out of the group to reach for it.

"I'll give you some time to decide who will carry it."

The team members looked at each other momentarily before Sakura handed over the Heaven scroll to Sasuke.

"Alright, it seems that you will be entering through gate number 12. Good luck to you."

They nodded, and then left.

Team 7 waited a while for the rest of the teams to hand in their forms and receive their scrolls. It was good they had some time to themselves.

Eventually they were standing in front of gate twelve. They were ready to go.

"Alright guys, remember that we have five days to get to the tower. There is no rush." Naruto reminded them. "I say we should focus on finding and fortifying a place to stay. We could assess the situation as well as gather supplies."

"I don't know," Sasuke replied back, "If we wait too long, then we'll be stuck defending our position from those that are desperate for our scroll. I say we go on the offensive immediately."

"I say we just wing it." Sakura surprised everyone with her input. "What?" she asked when she saw the strange looks she received.

Both Sasuke and Naruto then looked at each other. They shrugged.

It was better than strategizing against uncertainty.

The gates opened. It was time to go.

/Break/

They were walking slowly, making sure to avoid any traps or creatures the best they could. They didn't want any unnecessary trouble.

It didn't take long for them to figure out that they were being tailed by someone. Whoever it was, they were decent at stealth.

"We're being followed. Do you want to set a trap?" Sakura asked. She was walking next to Sasuke, both of whom were walking behind Naruto.

"Yea," Sasuke agreed, "but how do we lure him out?"

"I have an idea." Naruto said. "I'll just make two clones and have them henge into you two. You and Sakura will be free to sneak around and flush him out. Wait for the obvious distraction."

They both nodded as they rounded a tree. It was then that team 7 went into action. Naruto quickly created two clones that changed into his teammates while the real Sasuke and Sakura leapt up into the tree as quietly as possible. They were going to sneak up on the man following them.

"Naruto," The fake Sasuke began when they appeared back out in the open, "I want to hold the scroll." The fake Sasuke held out his hand.

The real Naruto turned to him. "Why? So you could lose it! I don't think so you idiot."

"I won't lose it! I'm an Uchiha dammit, so give me the scroll!"

"Please Naruto!" the fake Sakura yelled out. "Don't hurt Sasuke! He doesn't know what he's talking about. He never does! He's just a stupid Uchiha! I beg you not to hurt him."

The real Sasuke and Sakura did a quick face palm.

'_Naruto you idiot. I'll get you back for that!'_ Sasuke and Sakura thought before they continued on. They tried their hardest to ignore Naruto having fun with his two, henged clones as they continued to argue amongst themselves. It had to have been the dumbest conversation they had ever listened to, but it seemed to work as they watched the nin trailing them come into view.

Meanwhile, the rain nin that was trailing them stopped short of the group. He noticed they quit moving, so he got closer to see what they were saying.

It only took a few seconds for him to find out what was happening. _'Are they arguing with each other over the scroll? How pathetic.'_ He watched, almost in a trance, as he to listen to their conversation while the real Sasuke and Sakura snuck up on him.

"Alright, we got you." Sasuke said as he placed the tip of his kunai against his back. "Surrender you're scroll or die."

From the back Sasuke couldn't really see which village he hailed from, but he did notice the young shinobi wearing a white bodysuit, which looked more like a straight jacket than anything else, as well as an air mask-like mouthpiece covering the bottom portion of his face.

The mysterious nin didn't move or speak. _'They knew I was following them? How?' _He was too surprised to say anything.

"Sakura," Sasuke said, "Check him for the scroll."

The girl nodded and stepped forward. Her hands reached up and started to check his lower back pouch that was on his left side. But before she could really go through anything, the nin jumped forward from the branch, spun around, and flung kunai at them. He was going to escape.

Sasuke threw his own kunai to deflect them. He was about to leap out after him, but decided against it when he saw Naruto.

The Rain nin was still in midflight when Naruto appeared behind him. He latched onto the nin.

"What the-" The Rain nin yelled out as he felt his chakra being absorbed. He resisted at first by trying to fight his way out of his grasp, but he was met with a kunai entering his lower back.

"Don't worry, I didn't hit anything vital." Naruto said calmly as he landed back on the ground gracefully with him still within his grip. Naruto looked up to see Sasuke and Sakura land next to him.

When Naruto felt that he absorbed most, if not all of his chakra, he released him. "Don't worry about him doing any jutsu; he doesn't have the chakra for it." As soon as he released him though, the nin spun around to try to punch his blonde-haired captor.

The Namikaze acted quickly by grabbing his fist. He then followed it up quickly with a kick to the man's chest, sending him back into a tree.

"What was that about?" Sasuke asked angrily when he saw the nin wasn't getting back up from being kicked.

"What? He tried to attack me," Naruto defended.

"No, I mean earlier." He said, "Your distraction."

Naruto gave a small smile, "I thought you might like it."

"I hate you."

"That kick knocked him out cold Naruto," Sakura said as she checked his pulse. She had left them to bicker amongst themselves as she went to see how the intruder was, "Now we can't ask him questions, but at least we know he won't be a threat now."

Naruto walked over next to her and leaned over the knocked out nin, "Not necessarily. I have something I have been developing," he lied as he placed his right hand on the Rain nin's head, "let me try it out on him."

The other two just relaxed a bit.

"We'll we know that he hails from the Hidden Rain Village," Sasuke said, "But where is the rest of his squad?"

Sakura shrugged, "We should probably keep a lookout then."

Sasuke could only agree with her.

Meanwhile, Naruto took a deep breath as he concentrated on reading the man's thoughts. _'Alright,'_ he told himself, _'I've seen firsthand Pein use this on me. I need to figure out how he did it.'_

He put chakra into his right hand as he tried to delve into the unconscious man's mind. He let his instincts take over because all he really had to go by was how Pein did it.

It took an entire minute of struggling with his methods, but he slowly began receiving information.

"His name is Oboro," Naruto said out loud so the others could hear. His eyes were still closed as he continued to kneel down next the nin, "His teammate Mubi is carrying the Earth scroll and they plan on meeting up in thirty or so minutes."

Naruto continued to pour into the man's mind, trying to gather as much as he could. It was if he was swimming in knowledge. _'Pein was from Amegakure, maybe he might know something about him.'_

He quickly discovered that Pein was not all that he believed him to be. _'Rain is in a civil war? A supposed God is leading one side while Hanzou is leading the other…fascinating. I can only assume Pein is this God.'_ He didn't really know what to think of the information other than that it might come in handy later on.

"Alright, I got as much out of him as I could." Naruto said as he opened his eyes while he began to remove his right hand from the Rain nin.

"I have an - AHHHHH" Naruto cut himself off when he realized there was something still attached to his hand. It surprised him.

"What is THAT!" Sakura said as she too backed away slowly from the spectral ghost that was attached to Naruto. It resembled the young shinobi that was now lying very still on the ground. His breathing had stopped.

"Is that…his soul?" Sasuke said in disbelief as he too backed away slowly. He was able to see with the Sharingan that the nin, Oboro, was dead.

"I can't get it off! I didn't expect this at all!" The blonde haired shinobi moved his right hand around sporadically, hoping the soul would fall off, but it stuck like tape.

"This is bad." Naruto paled as he slowly brought up his left hand to help 'scrape' off the soul from his right hand.

Eventually, with much struggle, he was able to shake it off. The soul slowly started to drift back down to earth, much like a feather, until it neared Oboro's body, where it quickly returned to it.

Naruto knelt down to his knees as he looked at his right hand. The only thing comforting him at the moment was Oboro's steady breathing through his air mask.

'_The power to rip out souls without sacrifice…this truly is the work of a god!'_ Naruto couldn't stop staring at his hands. _'What power…now I know what Pein meant. Am I just scratching the surface of the Rinnegan's power? Or is this the final level?'_

Sasuke, after shaking off the initial surprise, looked a little annoyed. _'Judging by his reaction, I can assume he didn't know he could do that. Still,'_ he thought, _'what a powerful technique. I wonder if I could learn it.'_

Sakura nearly fainted but she recovered nicely after a minute. "N-Naruto? Are you alright?"

The Rinnegan user looked up with his doujutsu still active. "Yea," he said a little quietly, "yea I'll be alright. Just surprised, you know?" He then deactivated his doujutsu so he could see her face.

She nodded her head. "What was that technique?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll find out later when I play around with it a little more."

"That's not something you should play with." Sakura responded with a slight hint of fear in her voice.

"Come on," Sasuke cut in, "we need to get out of here." Sasuke looked at his teammates before looking around. He felt as if he was being watched again. This time though, he couldn't place where.

"Are we just going to leave him?" Sakura asked as she looked down at the unconscious Rain Nin known as Oboro.

"I'm sure as hell not carrying him." Naruto said as he stood up. "I think I've done enough damage to him for one day." He then paused. He felt an evil presence surrounding the area. Someone was nearby that was turning the area thick with malice.

"Sasuke's right, we need to leave now."

Naruto turned around and began walking off, but the ground beneath him exploded from a massive gust of wind coming from beneath it.

The blonde had activated his doujutsu instantly so he could absorb the blast, but the wind was too strong and carried too much debris for him to see effectively – since he shielded his upper body with his arms. The strong gust of wind carried him through the air.

The blonde felt as if he had been flying forever before a tree finally broke his flight. _'That was powerful…too powerful for any genin to pull off.'_ He thought as he landed gracefully back onto the ground. He quickly rubbed his lower back which hurt a little from hitting the tree.

He then looked around to see if Sakura or Sasuke were with him. They were nowhere to be found.

Naruto quickly stretched his neck before looking around him. _'I need to get back to them.' _Was his first thought, but it was quickly replaced by, _'Ah shit.'_

In front of him was a massive snake. It had slithered through the trees until it reached him.

Naruto's eyes turned into its familiar rippled pattern as he examined the creature. _'This isn't any normal snake.'_ He thought, _'its scales are armor-like.'_ His eyes were able to determine the thickness of the creatures scales.

The snake flicked its tongue towards the Jinchuuriki as it eyed him. It was hungry.

Naruto didn't look too pleased about fighting this massive monster, but then again it was only a snake covered in armor-like scales. How bad could it be?

He then felt movement to his left and quickly jumped straight up. Looking down he could see another snake attack from the side where he was just standing. _'There are two of them?'_ he thought immediately as he spun in the air. _'Well,'_ he thought as he landed on a nearby branch, _'I'll figure out something…eventually.'_

He dodged another strike, this time it was from the first snake.

/Break/

Sasuke was breathing quite heavily, not because he was tired, but because he was scared. He tried desperately to stand tall against his opponent, but it was no use.

The Uchiha was standing alone on a branch while Sakura stood several dozen yards behind him on a different branch. She was watching from a distance.

'_This shinobi is far from normal.'_ He thought as he gazed at the grass nin that was standing only a few dozen yards in front of him.

"Ah," the grass nin said to himself, "What do we have here? Trapped prey?" He laughed as he saw the fear in the Uchiha's eyes.

Sasuke slowly reached back into his pouch until he found the Heaven Scroll he was in charge of carrying. He now held it in his hands in front of him.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out, "What are you doing?"

"We have to get out of here Sakura; he's out of our league." He said calmly before he turned his attention fully towards his opponent. "Just leave us alone." He offered his scroll by holding it up about eye level with his arm stretched out. _'He's too strong. He'll kill us if we don't do something.'_

"Offering a distraction eh?" The grass nin said behind a smile, "Smart move." He chuckled at their desperation.

Sasuke stole a glance down at his hand that was holding the scroll. He was able to see his brother's old armor on his forearm. He immediately thought of Naruto.

He didn't wear the armor because it was useful, but because it was a constant reminder of exactly who he was chasing after. His brother had to pay for what he did, but first, he had to defeat a certain blonde haired teammate. _'Would Naruto run away from this fight?'_ He looked up at the man. _'Would my brother? How far have I come? Did I train all this time just to run away from a challenge?'_

The fear in Sasuke's eyes was now replaced with confidence and eagerness. He put the scroll back into his pouch.

His heavy breathing had stopped. He was now ready to go.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out again, but this time her voice held confusion. _'What is he doing?'_ She looked at her team mate hard, _'What's come over him?'_ The more she looked at her team mate though, the more she realized that it was something that had taken over her a few nights ago. Determination.

Was she really about to run away from this guy?

Yes, but not after seeing Sasuke. She was just as determined, even if she wouldn't fight the mysterious nin herself. All she could really do is continue to support her team mate. _'I wonder where Naruto is…'_ She wanted to go look for him, but then again she didn't want to leave Sasuke alone with the grass nin.

The Uchiha looked at his opponent with red eyes. He wasn't going to back down now. It was time to test how far he had actually come. It was time to test his strength

"Sakura, I need you to stay back." He said to her. "I'll take care of this."

Sakura could only nod in acceptance.

"Ah, you've decided to die then," the grass nin teased. "Very well, I'll just kill you and take your scroll."

Sasuke gritted his teeth in preparation for the fight. He and Sakura both had seen the grass nin swallow the Earth scroll that their team needed earlier. _'Somehow I need to get that from him.'_

Sasuke naturally relaxed into his fighting stance while his eyes locked onto his opponent.

The grass nin gave one quick smirk before he charged the Uchiha. He dashed forward quickly as he weaved left and right, slithering while he went.

Sasuke's eyes darted slightly to the left and then to the right. They were able to see his movements clearly as he approached him. It seemed that the man was before him in an instant with his right arm drawn back, ready to deliver a powerful punch to the young nin's face.

Sasuke rolled to his right as he narrowly avoided the assault while he gave a quick kick to the nin's knee.

The grass nin did a back flip to avoid Sasuke's attack, but he was met with a barrage of shuriken. He dodged them easily, but then he was surprised when the Uchiha pulled on the strings that were attached the shuriken, making them double back on his opponent. He was hoping to wrap him up in ninja wire.

The grass nin crouched extremely low to the branch and began to slither his way towards the nin, making sure to go underneath the wires.

Sasuke was able to see that his attack was pointless now that the nin ducked beneath his attack. He quickly let go of his wires and produced two kunai, one in each hand.

The older nin was in front of Sasuke in a blink of an eye, but the raven-haired shinobi was able to keep up with his Sharingan. Their fight soon escalated to a Tai-jutsu only match that lasted for several minutes.

Sasuke dodged the initial swipe that the older nin made with his hand. He countered by trying to go for his exposed throat. The grass nin saw the incoming attack and ducked to avoid the kunai in the boy's hand.

Sasuke was able to see the incoming punches and kicks and avoided them well enough, knowing full well he didn't posses the strength to stop them. He then would counter with precision swipes with the kunai in his hands, but he never scratched him.

He was sure to make full use of his forearm guards by blocking side swipes as the taijutsu match continued on.

It was when his opponent gave a roundhouse kick that Sasuke crouched low to avoid it while quickly placing both kunai in his right hand. Then, suddenly, his left hand reached back into his back pouch to grab something before it was too late. He had a plan.

The grass nin saw this as an opportunity and threw a quick punch with his right hand.

Sasuke withdrew his left hand and maneuvered it around the incoming fist before he grabbed his wrist. He then followed it up with a quick kick in the chest. However, the Uchiha placed chakra into his foot so that it would stick to the man's chest.

Naturally the grass nin moved his left hand to grab the foot that was sticking to his chest so that he could remove it, but Sasuke's other foot landed on his left forearm, preventing him from moving his entire left arm.

Sasuke smiled. His left hand was holding his opponent's wrist on his right hand, his left foot was on his opponent's chest, and his right foot was on his opponents left forearm. His opponent was helpless.

In one quick, fluid motion he threw the two kunai that was in his right hand at the Nin's exposed and unprotected head.

The older Nin's eyes went wide in surprise before he bent back his head to dodge.

Sasuke saw it and cringed. He knew that his head bent farther back than it should have for a normal person. _'This person…he's a monster!'_

When the grass nin's head jolted back to its normal position, it held an odd smile. "Impressive!"

Sasuke quickly placed a large amount of chakra into his left foot so that he could propel himself off of his enemy. It worked as Sasuke soared back a small distance, giving himself much needed space.

His opponent also slid back a few yards, leaving a small footprint indention on his chest. The grass-nin's hands went up to his chest to nurse it. "Quite impressive."

Sasuke didn't wait too long before he set off the explosive tag that he had stuck onto his enemy's wrist when he had grabbed it earlier from his pouch.

"AHH," The older nin was caught off guard as the explosive tag went off on his right arm. Naturally the nin was stunned as he staggered about for a few seconds. He also temporarily lost track of the younger nin. _'Clever boy! He has so much potential!' _

Sasuke somehow knew that wouldn't do the trick so he wasted no time as he jumped high up in the air and went through his familiar hand signs.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)" A massive fireball erupted from his mouth as he brought up his right hand to guide it. He watched it race downwards towards the stunned grass-nin as he still flew through the air.

His opponent smirked as he dashed suddenly to his left. He moved quickly, much quicker than Sasuke had anticipated, and began to slither around the trees and branches, like a snake.

Sasuke landed and then quickly jumped again, narrowly avoiding an incoming assault from his opponent.

His enemy stopped abruptly and jumped after Sasuke. He quickly caught up and appeared slightly below him. "Is that all you got?" he taunted.

Sasuke hid his fear behind a smile. "I'm just getting started." But that was far from the truth as he was already starting to feel tired.

He then twirled his body so that his feet landed underneath a branch and that he could propel himself back down towards the older nin. His right hand was drawn back, ready to deliver a powerful punch.

His enemy was nowhere near surprised by the Uchiha's frontal attack. He reached out and grabbed the punch with one hand, and placed the other on his chest. He then tossed him over his shoulders.

The Uchiha wasted no time while turning around as he went through several hand signs, ready to deliver another jutsu. Unfortunately he was caught off guard when a pair of shuriken was sent towards him. He opted to dodge and abandon his jutsu instead of casting it.

Before he could think of his next step, his enemy raced towards him again. Sasuke immediately jumped to another tree, and then another when he saw that he was being pursued.

"Trying to run won't help you," A loud, taunting voice yelled out from behind him.

The raven-haired shinobi knew he had to think of something quickly. He needed a trap.

When he was about to land on the next branch, he quickly took some wire and looped it around a smaller branch that was sticking out. He held on tight as the wire took hold, making the Uchiha circle around the small tree branch which helped him change his direction.

The grass-nin continued onward. He looked down at the new direction the Uchiha was heading. After landing gracefully on the next tree, he leapt after him so he could continue putting pressure on the young nin.

Sasuke quickly disappeared behind tree and started running up it. He was parallel to the ground as he continued his upward ascension. He was hoping to lose his opponent for a few seconds so he could think of a proper plan. He also took in a deep breath to control his breathing. _'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.' _

He thought of a plan as fast as he could, but it required him to go on the offensive.

A few seconds later he was sure that his enemy would follow, but he never did. He looked down where he was supposed to have followed, but he never showed. '_Where did he-'_

His train of thought was disrupted by several kunai that landed near and all around him. He twisted out of the way and launched himself into the air. He went through several hand signs.

"Housenka no Jutsu (Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)" A series of small fireballs sped off towards the grass nin he found hiding above him.

His opponent emitted a strong gust of wind to cancel the fire jutsu, but was caught off guard when kunai were still converging towards him. He took out a kunai so that he could to deflect them.

Sasuke landed and pushed himself off again towards his opponent. He held a single kunai in his right hand.

The grass nin deflected the last of the kunai when he was tackled off the tree by his prey. He felt a sharp pain in his rips as he and his prey began falling towards the ground. He looked down to see a kunai sticking out from his chest and silently cursed.

Sasuke went about wrapping his opponent up as fast as he could with wire before launching himself away from him.

The grass nin continued his decent before he abruptly stopped. The ninja wire held him up securely.

Sasuke stood on a branch with wires in his hands and mouth. They were holding up the wrapped up nin that was still dangling helplessly in the air. The then tied them to the tree he was on and jumped back off the branch so he could see his trapped enemy.

His opponent tried to move, but he was wrapped up tightly like a cocoon.

Soon Sasuke was on a nearby branch as he looked at the nin. He still had one wire still in his mouth that led directly to him. He knew that the man wasn't getting out of this one because the wires were wrapped tightly around his entire body. He was surprised the man could even wiggle a finger.

He genuinely smiled for once as he quickly went through the ending jutsu. He then breathed in deeply.

"Karyuu Endan (Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)" A massive jet of flame erupted from his mouth as it streamed along the wire.

The trapped nin was engulfed in flame while screamed in agony.

Sasuke kept it up as long as he could, putting as much chakra into it as he could. Finally, he released the jutsu. He let the wire fall from his mouth as he took the time to catch up on his breathing. It had been a long and difficult fight, but it was over now. Hanging like cocoon, his opponent was still on fire, but he was dead now. _'I did it!'_

He was panting hard and fell to one knee. He then deactivated his prized doujutsu.

Sakura had remained at a distance during the duration of the fight. The entire time she wished she could help Sasuke in any way, but she knew she would just be a burden. She wasn't strong enough yet to do anything, but she was hoping to change that soon.

It wasn't until she saw the massive fire jutsu in the distance that she realized that Sasuke had won. Granted she missed some of the fight because of how far away the two fighters had moved, but she still knew the outcome.

She began heading over towards them.

Sasuke looked at the burning corpse in satisfaction, until it turned to mud. His eyes went wide. _'When did he have time to…?'_

He turned around to scan the area and saw Sakura approaching him. "Sakura get back!"

Immediately after he warned her, several shuriken began cutting into the Uchiha. He jumped back.

He assessed the damage and realized that his left arm had a few minor scratches, but nothing serious.

The raven-haired shinobi looked up to see the strange nin emerge from a tree.

"You surpass all my expectations, Sasuke. You are definitely _his_ brother." He was now fully emerged from the tree as he stood parallel to the ground. "In fact, I say that your eyes hold more potential than Itachi's."

Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger, "Who are you?"

"My name is Orochimaru and I've decided that I want you, Sasuke." He smiled.

The Uchiha didn't know what to do. He was already exhausted from all the fighting from before, and he was also running out of options. _'I may have to resort to _that_ jutsu, but I haven't perfected it yet. I was hoping to save it for him…' _He was thinking of the one he had been working on the last few days.

He was about to jump into action, but his body froze. _'What is this?' _His body refused to respond. He was paralyzed.

"You will seek me out Sasuke." Orochimaru's head and neck stretched out and then raced rapidly towards the Uchiha with his mouth open and fangs at the ready.

Sakura screamed as she raced towards Orochimaru to stop him.

/Break/

Naruto was starting to feel the exhaustion as he jumped to another branch to avoid a fatal strike. Below him on the forest floor were two massive snakes that waited for his next move. They wouldn't wait long before they would strike again.

Both snakes were covered in burn marks and scars, but nothing serious. It seemed like their armor-like scales were hard to crack through.

The blonde breathed heavily as he went over mentally what he had tried so far. It appeared to him that most of his elemental jutsus were no match for their armor scales, and normal kunai and shuriken were useless as well.

'_I've used almost every offensive attack I know. Lightning, fire, and wind are useless and they are too massive for any Earth or water to work.'_ It wasn't as if they were useless, but he didn't know any powerful ones that could take on creatures of this magnitude. Still, Naruto knew a few jutsus in each category, but the power of the attacks were not made for armored creatures. They were made for humans.

One technique he had been using was his push and pull techniques. At first it was fine, but constant use of them on creatures of that size and magnitude weighed heavily on his chakra reserves. It took much more chakra to move them around than it did people.

Naruto began racing through his mind as he looked for options.

He considered summoning earlier, but he didn't quite know what to summon. Anything he could summon with his chakra reserves couldn't possibly take on two snakes at once. He decided he would wait on it.

Another option was running, but he didn't want to bring them back to his team. He knew that he had to take care of them now before he could return to his teammates.

'_I wasn't trained to take down beasts of this caliber.'_ He thought as he stared at them. _'These aren't normal. They must have been summoned.'_

He jumped again to avoid another strike from the first one, while in the air he quickly summoned a clone to distract the second snake as it tried to strike as well.

'_I can't keep running around. They'll tire me out if I don't do something.'_ He landed gracefully as he eyed the first snake. It was slithering up the tree after him.

'_They just won't leave me alone.'_ He propelled himself high up into the air as he released a few smoke bombs, hoping to hide momentarily.

He hid high up in a tree as he went through his equipment. He realized he had not wasted much since the encounter had started. _'They'll find me out eventually. What I need to do is find their weakness.'_

He thought hard for a few seconds but eventually he couldn't think of anything useful. He shrugged and looked out from his hiding spot. He could see only one of them, and from the looks of it, the snake didn't know where he was.

He began scanning around for the other one, but it wasn't until he saw a large shadow begin growing beneath him that he began to worry. _'It's behind me!'_

The blonde jumped as fast as he could into the air as he pulled wire out from his pouch. He knew he wasn't as good as Sasuke, but then again he never really trained using it. He narrowly avoided the snake's strike as he flew through the air.

He threw his wire, hoping it would wrap around the snake's fangs just before he had dodged. It worked.

The wire wrapped around both fangs securely as he tugged on them with both hands, making him land with a 'thud' on top of the snake's head.

Naruto quickly placed chakra into his feet so that he could stay atop the snake's head. He didn't really know what he planned to do from here, but he figured that he could try to steer the snake were he wanted to go, and he figured it was much safer than being on the ground.

He looked down at the snakes eyes to see it looking up at him and just like he expected, the snake began thrashing about wildly, trying to shake him off. It was then he realized that the snake's eyes were unprotected. Now he had something to go for.

The blonde felt as if he was participating in a rodeo as he tried to hang on. He was beginning to enjoy himself, until he saw the other snake approaching quickly from his left. He knew he had to take the one he was riding out first.

He placed the string in his mouth before both hands reached into his back pouch to produce a kunai in each hand and in one fluid motion he flicked them into the unprotected eyes of the snake. The snake was now blind.

No sooner had he blinded the snake did the other one lashed out at him with unprecedented speed. Naruto only had mere seconds to hold out his hands towards the oncoming snake.

The fangs of the second creature were almost touching him. He could see down its throat as he yelled out his second favorite technique. "Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)"

The second snake flew back. It was no longer a threat at the moment. Still, he was still standing on top of a blind snake that was still thrashing about. He had to take care of it quickly before it became a nuisance.

He considered leaving it alone at first, but he knew full well that it could still cause trouble. The Namikaze then pulled on the wires with as much strength as he could, which caused the snake's head to tilt upward with its mouth open. He tried to ignore the blood that was spraying everywhere from its damaged eyes.

The massive creature hissed and roared in protest, but Naruto ignored it as he quickly created a clone. The clone then somersaulted over its upper jaw and went into its mouth.

The snake felt something inside its mouth so it naturally it closed it, hoping for a meal. Seconds later its bottom jaw was blown off, courtesy of Divine Judgment.

The monster fell to the ground, lifeless.

The blonde stretched his arms as he released his hold on the wires, as well as the chakra from his feet. He then jumped off the dead creature and landed on the ground with little trouble.

He saw the second snake approaching him again. This time, however, it seemed more cautious, probably because its kin was now dead.

"Alright, I guess I should go for the eyes or inside the mouth." He said aloud, while cracking his neck. He relaxed his body as he watched the snake slowly slither towards him. He was prepared for anything now.

The snake coiled back quickly and attempted to strike the boy, but they shinobi was faster, but not by much. He glided in the air as he ran though some hand signs. He took in a deep breath.

"Renkuudan (Drilling Air Projectile)" He shouted before he sent three air blasts from his mouth. He hid kunai within each blast.

The snake had barely recovered from the strike before it was assaulted with Naruto's technique. The first two wind bullets hit the snake just below its eye, but the third was dead on.

The snake recoiled away as it staggered about, blood seeping from its eye. It was now blind in its left eye. The blonde, however, wasted no time and jumped high into the air. He was predicting the movements of the snake, hoping to land on its head and finish it.

He missed, but he still landed on the snake's back. As soon as he landed, however, the snake looked back with its good eye at the boy and went for the strike.

The Namikaze back flipped while throwing two kunai towards the snake's other eye. The kunai temporarily caused the snake to change its direction to avoid the attack. Naruto landed on the ground below and created two clones.

The created clones sped off towards the head of the snake while the real one stayed back. He was hoping his clones could finish the job.

One of the clones jumped high into the air, making the snake follow it, the other came from its blind side.

The creature was now tired and losing blood, making it move much slower. Still, it was determined to finish off its prey. It reached out and bit the first clone, causing it to poof away while the second was able to land on its head.

The clone knew from experience that it needed to put chakra in its feet so that he would be able to stay on. After he applied the necessary chakra, he came up with an idea.

He knelt down as he ignored the protests from the snake and the quick, jerking motions it made as it tried to shake him off. The blonde placed his hands on its head and tried to read its mind.

Slowly the clone filtered through its memories. It was easier this time. He figured it was because the snake's brain was less complex than that of a human. He saw an image of the man who summoned him. The snake knew him as Orochimaru.

Satisfied that he got the information that he needed, curiosity demanded that he try something else. He attempted to rip the soul out of snake. He succeed and the poofed away.

The real Naruto gained the experience and knowledge from his clone. "Orochimaru, eh?" He thought aloud as he tried hard to think of where he had heard the name before.

He leaned back against a tree to rest a bit before he would head off to find his team. Fighting both snakes made him work a bit and he was in need of a breather. "Where have I heard that name before?" He casually remarked to himself between breaths.

He ignored his thoughts for a second as he tried to rethink the fight. He concluded that he needed to be much faster as well as work on other techniques. Sure the power of the Rinnegan will always be useful, but surely he would face opponents who could fight around it. _'I'll need to work on mastering the elements first as well as sealing.'_

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he had so much to work on. He wasn't as good as he realized.

He gave a quick sigh as the name Orochimaru floated back into his head. Suddenly, it came to him.

"An S-rank missing nin, here?" Something didn't feel right. Then, it hit him like a kick in the nuts.

"Sasuke, Sakura!"

He then heard a scream far off in the distance.

/Break/

Naruto appeared just as Sakura caught Sasuke as he collapsed into her arms. He noticed a strange mark appear on his neck.

"What happened?" He asked her as he landed next to them.

She turned her head towards Orochimaru who was now standing only a dozen or so yards away from them on the same tree branch. "Naruto, where have you been?" She then ignored her own question, "He-He bit him!"

Naruto turned to look at Orochimaru with his grey eyes. _'She's really scared of him. He must be powerful.'_

The Sanin trembled when he looked at the boy. "The Rinnegan!" He practically squealed in delight. "I've heard rumors that someone possessed it, but I only thought they were rumors. How…delightful that they were actually facts." He was practically salivating as he looked at the blonde's eyes. _'The Rinnegan! The most powerful eye technique actually exists here in Konoha! I must have it!'_ He then looked over at Sasuke, _'He could always come later, maybe after I train him…' _Possibilities and future plans popped up in his head.

"Did you do this to Sasuke?" He looked at the curse mark again on Sasuke's neck. He knew it was some kind of curse mark but he wasn't that far along in Jiraiya's studies to completely understand it. However, his eyes were able to see an evil presence invading Sasuke's body.

"Hm, what if I did?" He teased, "What are you going to do about it?" he was hoping to provoke the boy into fighting him. After all, it wasn't every day that one got to fight someone with a legendary eye technique.

"Tell me what you did!" Naruto demanded. "Or I'll take the information from you."

"My, my, you must be pretty strong to make such demands. Oh yes I forgot, you've defeated my pets earlier. I'm impressed," Orochimaru spoke with a hint of praise, "But then again I shouldn't be surprised by Konoha's Jinchuuriki."

"Naruto, what's going on? What's a Jinchuuriki?" Sakura asked as she still held on to Sasuke tightly in her arms as he squirmed about in obvious pain. She was so confused at the moment.

"Sakura, I need you to take Sasuke somewhere safe. I'll find you later on." He never took his eye off of his opponent.

"But-"

"Please Sakura;" He said calmly, "I need you to take Sasuke somewhere safe. I'll follow you shortly."

She looked at him hesitantly but eventually she complied. A few seconds later she was gone with an unconscious Sasuke.

Orochimaru smirked, "We're all alone now Namikaze Naruto."

"You know my name?" He asked back. He wasn't really surprised since this man knew he was the Jinchuuriki of the Hidden Leaf.

"Of course, I know all about you. You and your family have always been a nuisance to me."

"What does that mean?" Naruto demanded as he glared at Sanin.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Did you know that I was originally supposed to be the Fourth Hokage? Your father took that away from me." There was no hint of anger in his voice, but instead he spoke casually towards the blonde, like they were old friends, "But I suppose it was for the best because I would have let the village burn if the Kyuubi attacked during my leadership. No village is worth dying for."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he prepared himself to fight. His eyes did a quick survey over the area and noticed signs of fighting. He could tell Sasuke must have put up one hell of a fight. He'd finish what the Uchiha had started. He also located good attack and defensive positions. _'I shouldn't have to worry about Sasuke and Sakura getting in my way now.'_

"Are you after this?" Orochimaru's tongue emerged from his mouth. It held the Earth Scroll. "Win and I might give it to you." He said with an odd smile. He was hoping that was enough to trigger Naruto into attacking him.

Naruto held out his right hand. "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)"

The Earth Scroll was ripped from Orochimaru's tongue and was sent flying towards the blonde by some invisible force. He grabbed it from the air and placed it in his back pouch in one smooth motion. "I'll give it back if you tell me how to get rid of that hicky you put on Sasuke."

Orochimaru's eyes were wide. He had never seen a technique such as that and began wondering what else the kid was able to do. He smiled and laughed. He could no longer contain his excitement. "This will be fun, Naruto-kun. I think I might want you instead!"

He charged the blonde quickly, using a little more speed than he had with Sasuke. _'I need to be careful with this one.'_ He thought cautiously. He was unsure what the Rinnegan was capable of.

Naruto saw the Sannin's moves clearly enough with his Rinnegan. He decided it would be best to wait till Orochimaru was close enough to him before he initiated his own attack.

The snake Sannin was close now, only a few feet, before Naruto uttered a few simple words, "Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)"

Orochimaru was stopped suddenly in his tracks as he was instantly propelled back with unprecedented force and speed. His eyes could not have been wider from surprise _'What is this!'_ He thought in fear as his body was sent crashing through several trees involuntarily. _'Such force! It's as if he can control the very nature of gravity itself!!!'_ It was truly devastating, but he still remained unharmed as he was sent through multiple trees. _'How…how did he?' _The mysteries of the Rinnegan were truly fascinating.

Naruto watched as the snake sent was sent flying away from him and knew that wouldn't be enough to stop him, but at least it would give him time to think. As quick as he could he concentrated on measuring how much chakra he had left, as well as estimating his stamina.

'_Those two snakes were a huge setback, but I still have enough to deal with this guy.'_ It was then he realized who exactly he was dealing with – this shinobi was said to be Kage level.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)" He created four clones. One stood in front of him, one on each side, and one in the back. They would be in charge of protecting him. _'I just need to get close enough to read his mind. Maybe then I can find out what exactly is going on and maybe I'll know what he did to Sasuke. He already knows about Banshou Tenin so I doubt he'd fall for it twice.'_

Orochimaru was eventually stopped by a tree about seventy yards away from the blonde. _'How wonderful!'_ He thought happily as he assessed his opponent's strength, _'I can only imagine the power he's saving for later!'_

He dashed away from the blondes view and did some quick hand signs of his own.

The blonde's vision was limited to black and white. It allowed anything chakra related to stand out a great deal, making it relatively easy to spot. He was able to see hidden seals, genjutsu, and even ninja wire and traps easily. That was why, when he could no longer spot Orochimaru in the distance, he felt a small amount fear creep up on him. _'Where did he go? Did he run away?'_

The four clones surrounding him started to scan the area in all directions. The real Naruto closed his eyes while he tried to 'feel' Orochimaru's presence. _'I'm still not on his level yet. It seems he can suppress his chakra completely.'_ He thought sadly. _'Is Jiraiya sensei this strong too?'_

Suddenly, a massive snake emerged from the ground beneath them and headed straight for the blondes that were standing on a tree branch relatively close to the ground. The attack was sudden and quick, but one of the clones was able to push it away with a Divine Judgment. Unfortunately, the snake was only made to distract Naruto and the clones temporarily by making them look down.

Another massive snake appeared from the side and charged the blondes, but another Naruto used Divine Judgment, sending it back just like the first snake. _'I can't keep this up. It takes too much chakra to manipulate creatures of this size.'_

It was during that brief amount of time with the second snake that Orochimaru emerged from the first one and quickly slithered his way up the tree where the clones were at in mere milliseconds.

The clones were too busy with the second distraction to realize his quick ascension up the tree and onto where they stood. Snakes began to pour from his sleeves and mouth as they made their assault on Naruto and his clones. They slithered silently and quickly.

The real Naruto spun around, as well as his clones, to see that the snakes were already on them. The two clones that were closest were bitten first before they poofed away.

The real Naruto, along with his two remaining clones, jumped back to avoid the approaching serpents that slithered along the branch. "What the hell is it with him and snakes?" The clone on his right yelled out in frustration as he raised his arms up to do a quick fire jutsu. He planned on roasting them alive.

The real Naruto, as well as the clone to his left, overlooked the snakes entirely and had their eyes set on Orochimaru. The clone to his left quickly yelled out, "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)," while the real Naruto had ran through a set of hand signs, "Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Style: Bullet)"

Orochimaru was helpless as he was sent flying towards them. He was being hit with massive water bullets that escaped from the real Naruto's mouth while he flew towards them. He also saw the snakes he released earlier that were sent slithering towards them were killed in a fire jutsu.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru couldn't believe the feeling of fear that overcame him as his body was pulled involuntarily towards the blondes. He didn't like feeling helpless. _'It's like a being pulled by a chain that's attached to my chest!' _He wondered the entire time why he was unable to move his body.

The clone on his right was finished with the snakes and his fire jutsu and decided to cast one more. He sped off towards the Sannin that was currently flying towards them and tackled him down to the ground. He knew that the snake nin was still drenched in water and knew of the perfect attack.

"Raiton Kage Buunshin Bakuha (Lightning Style Shadow Clone explosion)," the clone said as he detonated into a chaotic and violent flash of lightning that electrocuted everything nearby. Orochimaru was effectively killed as his body settled on the ground. His body was still covered in jolts of electricity as it twitched.

Orochimaru's body then turned to mud immediately afterwards.

"Outstanding!" An eerie voice echoed through the trees. Both Naruto and his clone went back to back. "You are quite a rare find indeed. It would be wrong of me not to leave you a little gift, something to remember me by."

Naruto and his clone had been scanning the area while Orochimaru spoke. They noted a few chakra signatures hidden throughout the trees. _'He must have done this while we were distracted by his clone and the snakes.'_

"How many do you count?" He asked his clone from over his shoulder.

"Two. I only see two other chakra signatures. From the looks of it he seems pretty spread out. How about you?"

"I only see one. That must mean he has to be one of them." Naruto said, making sure to keep his eyes focused on the one chakra signature he found.

"Any plans?" His clone asked.

"We need backup." He formed a few hand signs, "Kage Buunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone no Jutsu)"

The branch they were standing on was now covered in Naruto clones. "Alright, let's have some fun."

Before any of the clones could jump off and attack their intended target, an exploding note suddenly appeared in the center of the branch among all the clones. None had seen it as they were too preoccupied with focusing on the Orochimaru clones scattered in the forest.

The tag exploded suddenly and violently, causing the blondes to scatter. Most were able to absorb the blast, but a few had jumped out of instinct, and fewer still were caught off guard and poofed away.

The real Naruto had absorbed the blast before turning around. He saw multiple clones of himself fighting off multiple Orochimaru clones that had attacked during the distraction. _'He must have had one of his snakes hide it there when we focused on his clone earlier. Clever.'_ He never once forgot that he was dealing with a Sanin, which meant that the next few attacks could all very well be distractions that led up to something much more disastrous.

He shrugged off his worries and focused on his stamina and chakra amount. He knew from experience that he could probably last a little longer. He didn't have too much time to dwell on it though because fights were starting all around him. _'I should try to find a way to end this soon, but I wonder, is Orochimaru even getting tired? After all, he just fought the Uchiha.'_

And then it came to him. He found it odd that a Sannin was out to fight genin during a chuunin exam. _'He was testing Sasuke and most likely he's testing me right now. He did mention something about wanting me more than Sasuke. I'll need to catch him off guard.'_ His plan was the same from the get go; he needed to read Orochimaru's mind as well as take his soul away from him. But how would he get close enough?

He silently agreed to himself that he would figure it out later. Now, however, he just needed to avoid the epic battle going around him. It seemed that everywhere he looked he could see a clone of himself fighting a clone of Orochimaru. _'He's starting to figure out how my techniques work.'_ He knew suddenly from a clone that had poofed away from somewhere in the battle. It had just sent him the information. _'He's putting chakra into his feet so that he isn't affected by my Divine Judgment.' _

It wasn't until he jumped into the air did he realize that his clones were more trouble than they were worth because, as he tried to approach an Orochimaru clone from behind, he had to duck from the watery blasts that were sent towards him from one of his clones in the distance. He also had to maneuver around kunai that were thrown carelessly as well as dodge other ninja tools and jutsus just to stay alive. _'My clones are too caught up in the fight to acknowledge the others.'_ He noted sourly as he saw multiple Orochimaru clones appear to match the number of clones he had put on the field. _'He'll just keep matching the number I put out.'_

He realized that he had too many clones on the field and they were beginning to bother him. _'Root said that my biggest weakness was that I had a natural tendency to let my clones run wild.'_ He thought just as he dispelled all of his clones. _'I'll have to keep my clones to a minimum.' _

The only ones left were him and two more Orochimaru clones that had landed a short distance in front of him. "Smart move, Naruto-kun." He said as he dissolved into mud.

The only Orochimaru left smiled. "Now it's just me and you," He said with a sadistic smile, "I definitely want you more than Sasuke, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was a bit confused. What did he want him for? "Why are you here?"

"My my, you're very curious aren't you? Not a very good trait to have as a shinobi." Orochimaru felt at ease as he relaxed his posture and crossed his arms.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still thinking of how he would defeat the Sannin. _'All I have at my disposal that kill him is the soul remover jutsu. Everything else he'll just survive through.'_ He went over in his mind how much chakra he had left as well as his stamina. _'My chakra level is getting pretty low considering how many times I've used Divine Judgment. My stamina though, is still pretty high.'_

He then decided that Taijutsu would be best. Not only would it waste time, but maybe provide him an opportunity to get close to him. _'I still believe he's only testing me, so he should allow me to get close enough to him.'_

He charged him. As he ran, he reached back and took out a few shuriken. He threw them.

Orochimaru took out his own shuriken and threw them, which effectively deflected the ones Naruto threw.

The two then engaged into taijutsu. Naruto delivered a few powerful punches, only to have the snake nin slither around them and throw a few of his own.

"Getting low on chakra already?" Orochimaru taunted. He knew that the blonde wouldn't be resorting to Taijutsu if he had more chakra at his disposal. His style was more Ninjutsu related although it saddened him that Naruto had yet to use a genjutsu.

Naruto ignored him and as he continued to dodge all the attacks the Sannin threw at him.

For several minutes they continued their dance as Naruto back flip to avoid a low kick before he would go in for another attack. _'Orochimaru doesn't even seem to be effected by this!'_ He thought as sweat was beginning to pour down from his forehead. Never before had he had to push himself so hard just to keep up with an opponent in close quarters fighting.

The snake nin smiled as he threw more punches. _'He's used up some of his stamina before now. I'm amazed he can still fight at this pace. He is truly amazing!'_

"Just give up Naruto-kun. I can see from your movements that you're getting tired." He taunted again. "Everything you do is useless now."

Naruto agreed with the man completely. _'He believes that I'm almost out of chakra. It's true, considering all the jutsu I've already used, as well as having my Rinnegan active all this time, but I do have a trick up my sleeve.'_

It was something he had forgotten to acknowledge and that was the fact he had his Rinnegan active for quite a while, far longer than he has ever had them on before. He assumed it was just as draining to use any other eye technique though.

'_I have a few tricks left, hopefully they work.' _

Naruto waited until Orochimaru threw a punch. He didn't wait long before he found what he was looking for. He ducked low under Orochimaru's left hook and clapped his hands together.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"

In the small space between Naruto and Orochimaru appeared a giant wolf. It appeared confused and aggressive. The angered immediately attacked the snake nin because it was the first thing it saw.

Orochimaru was surprised but took action immediately by having multiple snakes emerge from his sleeves to wrap around the wolf, biting the creature mercilessly. _'This boy is incredible. To be able to control gravity, to be able to use all the elements as well as summon. What a child.'_

The creature poofed away within several seconds of his arrival, but that was all Naruto needed to jump over him and land behind Orochimaru during the small distraction.

The snake nin began to turn to face his opponent, but it was too late, Naruto had grabbed the man's head.

Orochimaru fell to his knees because his body wouldn't move. His eyes darted upwards to see the Namikaze's hand at the top of his head. Naruto wasted no time and began concentrating.

The blonde closed his eyes and used some of his bit of his chakra to dive into the man's mind. It was hard at first, because of the strength of Orochimaru's will, but eventually he cracked a few of the mental barriers.

"WHAT…WHAT IS THIS!" Orochimaru demanded as his eyes darted around in fear. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! LET GO!" he couldn't believe what was happening. _'Is he reading my mind? How is this possible! How did he bypass all those seals and barriers I've placed there?' _

The blonde ignored his screaming and tried desperately to make sense of what he was seeing. At first it was him as a small boy with his two teammates Jiraiya and Tsunade, but soon it began to scatter around, making it hard to follow. It was if he was flipping through a photo album at high speeds, only images and short phrases stuck with him.

He was unable to find what he was looking for and could no longer continue what he was doing because he was running low on chakra, so he stopped. _'There's just too much information in his head and I haven't practiced enough with this new jutsu. All I could find about the curse mark on Sasuke was a man name Juugo. I'll need to seek him out to find out more.'_

Naruto opened his eyes as his mind focused back to where he was. The first thing he was met with was Orochimaru's loud voice.

"MY MIND! YOU WENT THROUGH MY MIND! HOW?!" He screamed like mad, "ANSWER ME!"

The blonde gave a weak smile. He knew he was almost out of chakra and stamina now that he used that technique, but at least he won the fight. "It's time to remove your soul, Orochimaru."

Fear and dread washed over the snake nin's face. His eyes were open wide in shock. _'Why can't I move my body? How is he doing this?'_

Naruto used most of his chakra he had left and quickly looked for his soul. He found it. "Time to die."

Orochimaru slowly felt his soul being touched. It was something he had never experienced before. '_This boy…he…he._' He was slowly loosing thought as he felt his life force slowly give out. "I WILL NOT DIE HERE! I AM THE IMMORTAL WHO SHALL LEARN ALL TECHNIQUES, TO LIVE FOREVER!" He yelled in protest

Naruto's progress with his soul was troublesome. Adding to the fact that he was mentally and physically tired and almost out of chakra, it made the whole process slow and difficult.

He had pulled out a quarter of Orochimaru's soul when it suddenly stopped giving way. He didn't know why until he felt the snake nin's chakra rise significantly.

Instinctively he let go of the soul and moved on to his other technique – his chakra absorption technique. He placed his hand back on top of the snake-nin's head to perform his jutsu. "Fuujutsu Kyuuin (Sealing Technique Absorption Seal)," Naruto said while he began to abstract his opponent's chakra. He could feel his own reserves begin to refill.

"What's happening to my chakra?" Orochimaru gasped as felt his body was losing strength, but after a moment, he smirked.

Suddenly, several snakes emerged from his collar and raced towards the Namikaze's hand that was on their master's head.

Naruto saw this and tried to take his hand away, but the snakes were too fast and wrapped themselves around the blonde's arm and bit him. The blonde violently cut them off and jumped back away out of instinct. He glared at his opponent in anger.

Orochimaru slowly stood back up as he watched the blond jump far away from him, making sure to leave as much ground as he could between them.

"What…how did you? When did you summon those snakes?" Naruto asked angrily as he nursed his arm that had the bite marks on it.

"I activated that jutsu just after you summoned that wolf."

The Namikaze looked at him with narrowed eyes. _'So that whole time he played defenseless, knowing full well he had snakes he could call upon. Now he knows most of my jutsus.'_ But that wasn't his only thought. He was still amazed by the fact that Orochimaru was quick enough to do it without him noticing.

Then he fell to one knee. He didn't know what was happening to him, but he suddenly felt weak as his body began to stumble. He had lost his balance. He then looked up with his blurry vision towards the snake nin, who was already approaching him.

He tried to jump away, but all he could do was fall over back onto one knee. "What did you do to me?"

The Sanin ignored him as hundreds of snakes poured from his sleeves and slowly constricted around the boy. The snakes lifted him up and brought him to the tree trunk that was only a few feet behind the blond and pinned him against it.

"The snake that bit you had paralyzing venom. Don't worry, it won't kill you, but for the next few minutes, you'll be helpless." The nin looked up at the blonde and observed his dazed facial expression that was plastered on his face. _'He's already pushed himself to the limit, but I still can't let my guard down. After all, he's almost killed me twice now. It's fortunate that I performed that jutsu before he read my mind, or I would have lost my soul.'_ He chuckled to himself, _'My curiosity on what his plan was almost had me killed.'_

The blonde's vision was still blurry as he was forced to deactivate his Rinnegan because the venom made it hard to control his chakra, but he could still make Orochimaru's figure out. He could see the man's face open wide, showing his fangs. He knew he planned on biting him, just like he did Sasuke.

'_I failed. Not only am I out of chakra and pinned to a tree, but I can't move properly until this venom wears off. He won.'_ Just as he thought about giving up, his mind lost all contact with reality and he was thrown into a place he swore he would never return to.

/Break/

He knew where he was and he knew he didn't want to be here. "What am I doing back here?" He thought aloud in utter annoyance as he started to move forward. He didn't like this one bit, but he didn't have an alternative.

Soon he was standing in front of the massive gate that held the Kyuubi. Again, the first thing he noticed was the seal on the doorway. He promised himself that one day he would become that good, as good as his old man, but for now he would have to wait.

"**Back again I see. I told you that you were nothing without me! You are weak**!" The Kyuubi sneered as his red eyes appeared from the black veil behind the bars.

Naruto looked determined as he stared boldly at the Fox. He then spoke to him with an unwavering sense of pride, "Give me your damn chakra," He demanded, "Just this once."

The Kyuubi laughed at the boy's effort to act like he was in charge. He remembered clearly what the young nin told him last time he visited. "**Change your mind, have we**?" He then looked closed his eyes and backed away into the cage, "**The answers no**." He disappeared.

"Look, I don't have time for your games! Either you help me or we both die!"

"**AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF GAMES**!" He roared as his claws emerged from the spaces between the bars to his cage. His red eyes returned with hatred and malice, "**WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF DEATH**? **YOU KNOW NOTHING YOU AGGOGANT CHILD**!"

The blond gritted his teeth, and turned away. He wouldn't be made a fool of – especially from a useless fox. "Then I guess we'll both die you useless fox."

Laughter filled the room as the Kyuubi looked at the boy. "**Empty threats from a weakling. Fine, I guess I'll give you some of my chakra, but in return**," his tone became far deeper and more serious, "**You will return here. I have some information on those eyes of yours."**

Before Naruto could ask what the fox had meant, he was forced out of his own mind and back to reality. When he looked up, he could see Orochimaru's face slowly approaching his neck, almost about to bite it.

A sudden surge of demon chakra filled Naruto's body, and soon he was coated in burning red chakra. He gave a loud roar.

Orochimaru didn't have time to register what exactly had happened as he was sent flying back. He landed gracefully not too far away when he saw the snakes constricting the Jinchuuriki begin to burn. They hissed and protested, but eventually they died. Naruto was soon out of their grip and back onto the tree branch below.

'_It seems his aggravated state as well as the Kyuubi's chakra nullified the poison. I should stop this now before this gets out of hand.' _He thought. He then looked at the boy's eyes to see his Rinnegan had been changed to look like the eyes of a fox; his pupils had become vertical slits. The slits, however, had ripples from the Rinnegan expanding from them. It wasn't the look of the eye that caught him off guard though, but the colors. Instead of it being the usual grey, they turned to blood red to resemble the chakra surrounding the rest of the boy's body.

He then opened his mouth to let a serpent slither out, and then from its mouth, a sword emerged and headed for the Jinchuuriki. The sword appeared to have no length as the blade increased its length and easily traveled the distance to the boy, hoping to impale him.

The blonde saw this and quickly twisted to one side. He then clasped his hands together, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)." A massive Rhino appeared and began to charge the snake-nin.

Meanwhile, Naruto didn't wait to see if his summoning would work because he jumped off the branch and headed straight for the ground.

The Sanin saw the Rhino charging him and quickly adjusted his Kusanagi sword to take it out. _'More summons?' _He then spotted the silhouette of red chakra head for the forest floor. It had one tail swaying behind it. The snake nin then retrieved his sword from his mouth before heading down to chase after him.

The boy turned around just as Orochimaru landed on the ground. He lifted his hands up high before bringing them down onto the ground hard, sending a shockwave towards the Sanin and effectively destroying the ground all around him.

The sound nin jumped high to avoid the blast, but suddenly found himself being drawn towards the blond by an invisible force. _'Banshou Tenin!'_ He thought _'He made sure I was in the air before attempting this jutsu._' It was a clever move from the boy considering he knew that Orochimaru would just use chakra in his feet to stick to the ground and make the attack void. He quickly stuck out his sword, hoping to impale the blonde before he got there, but Naruto countered by sending his chakra arm at him.

Orochimaru couldn't dodge or escape the attack and soon found himself engulfed in burning red chakra as he was still flying towards the Jinchuuriki. His body began to burn and pain surged throughout his body, but only for a few seconds. A hand emerged from his mouth, followed by an arm and head. Orochimaru had shed his skin to escape from the young nin's demonic chakra grasp.

He landed on the ground with a wicked grin. _'It's been a long time since I've met someone of this caliber. When he grows up he'll be unstoppable. That's why I must have him.'_

Before he could continue with his attack, he felt a familiar chakra presence approaching them. _'Anko…it's been a while.'_ He thought before he turned his attention to the boy. "It's been fun, Naruto-kun. Unfortunately I'm done playing with you for now, but I'll be back." He laughed as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The boy slumped to the ground when he knew that the nin had left for good. He let the demonic chakra recede back. _'I can't feel or see him anywhere.'_ He thought as he found the nearest tree and leaned back against it. _'Is it because of that incoming chakra source?'_ He remembered that particular chakra source belonging to the proctor of the exam.

It didn't matter to him now. His only thought was to find Sakura and get back to her. _'Where did she go?'_ He didn't know where to search for her but he knew that he wouldn't find her sitting around. He had planned on using multiple shadow clones to go and search for her, but he then realized he didn't have the strength to do it, so he opted for the old fashion way.

He tried to stand back up, but fell right back down. "Chakra exhaustion," he said to himself out loud, "it's been awhile since I've been pushed this far." He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he forced himself back up.

"Time to get moving." He got up and slowly walked off. He then fell back down again.

/Break/

Sakura had traveled far with Sasuke in her arms before she finally found a place that could be easily defended. She set him down gently and began fortifying the area with traps.

The reason she traveled far was because she was scared for her life. That man, no –monster – scared her more than she ever thought possible.

'_I hope Naruto is okay.'_ She thought hopefully as she set up the last bit of defensive trap. She knew that he was the strongest genin here, and thought he should be able to handle himself. When she believed the area was secure, she turned her attention to her bag she had set right beside Sasuke.

She rummaged through it before she found what she was looking for. It was a beginner's medical scroll. "Time to be useful, Sakura." She told herself as she prepared herself for a few hours of reading before applying what she learned on Sasuke.

After a few hours of reading and taking care of Sasuke, she was unfortunately attacked by a trio of Sound nin.

She of course, screamed out of habit.

/Break/

Naruto had been traveling for hours before he finally got a clue to where his team was. He turned to his left as he heard a familiar scream echo through the forest. _'Sakura.'_ He thought worriedly as he raced as fast as he could. _'Thankfully she always screams at the right moments.'_

He jumped up to the tree tops so that he could get a better vantage point, but when he landed, he stumbled a bit and ended up on one knee. _'I guess I'm not fully recovered.'_ His hand grabbed his right arm so where the bit marks from the snakes still remained. It hurt more than any other part of his body.

He figured that the pain in his arm, as well the muscle pain from his entire body, would recover after a good night's sleep. _'I didn't know using this much Kyuubi chakra could be so tiring.'_

He brushed off the pain in his legs as he forced himself to continue on. He was determined to get there.

It didn't take too long before he arrived to a particularly interesting scene. He stopped short so that he wouldn't be noticed.

Sasuke was glowing in evil chakra as three sound nin were cowering in fear. To the side he could see Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, as well as Neji and Ten-ten. He also spotted Lee on the ground next to Sakura. _'What did I miss?'_

He waited till the sound nin left before he jumped down in the middle of the clearing, surprising everyone.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled happily. She went over to talk to him but Sasuke placed an arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"How do we know you're Naruto?" He asked in suspicion. Everyone else seemed to be taken back as well. Most agreed with Sasuke but Neji silently activated his Byakugan.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked in annoyance. He didn't have time for this.

"Let's see your eyes." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Naruto quickly flashed his Rinnegan eyes before showing his blue ones.

The Uchiha nodded and lowered his arm in front of Sakura.

"Is anyone going to tell me what happened here?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru walked up to him and told him that, although it was troublesome for him to explain everything, he would anyway just to fill him in.

Naruto listened to Shikamaru and Chouji for a while, as well as Lee, and was silently thankful that they were there to help his team when they needed it. He also noticed Sasuke, who slumped down next to a tree to rest while Sakura and Ino walked off together to do their hair. That was when he noticed her short hair. _'Shikamaru did say she cut her own hair to get away from the sound Kunoichi.'_

"Thank you guys," He said to them when he was away from the others.

"No problem, Naruto," Shikamaru said while he was lying down, staring up at the clouds, "You are our comrade. We'll always have your back."

Naruto looked over towards the scroll that the sound genins left in order for Sasuke to leave them alone and noticed it was a Heaven scroll. They already had one when they started the exam.

"Sasuke," He called over his shoulder, "Do you still have our scroll?"

The Uchiha looked at him as if he was insulted, "Of course."

"Alright then, I guess you guys can have it since you helped us a great deal." He told Chouji and Shikamaru as he turned to face them. "We won't need it after all.

They were thankful.

Meanwhile, Team Neji decided that it was time for them to leave but something bothered Neji to no end. _'I've heard rumors that Naruto possessed the Rinnegan. So why was he beat up? Who did he face that gave him that much trouble?'_

He could see many things with his Byakugan, and one was the condition of the body. _'Maybe Naruto isn't as strong as I once believed.'_ He smiled to himself because the exams just got easier for him and his ego.

It was after everyone had left and team 7 was alone did Sasuke ask Naruto what happened between him and Orochimaru. It was obvious from the bruises and scuff marks that Naruto had been through a lot.

"I'll tell you afterwards. For now I need to sleep." He said tiredly before he grinned. He then lay down on the soft grass near the roots of a massive tree. His body ached in places he didn't know he had and they desperately called out for rest.

He could feel his muscles relax as well as some of the aches in his body begin to fade. It was time for his usually high fast healing rate to do its job.

"Well don't take too long. We'll need to find the Earth Scroll if we're going to get to pass this test."

"Nah, I got it from Orochimaru." Naruto sat back up so he could fiddle with his back pouch. He produced the said scroll and tossed it to Sakura.

"How did you-"

"I'll tell you guys after I sleep. I need sleep." He said while yawning. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into slumber.

/Break/

When Naruto woke back up, he noticed that it was dark out. The first day in the forest had passed. "Do you know what time it is?" He asked his teammate.

"A few hours past midnight." She answered.

"Okay," He said to himself as he mentally counted the hours of how long he was out in his head. _'I think it's safe to say that we should be going now before Orochimaru decides to come back.'_

Sasuke cranked his head around to see his blonde teammate. "You gonna tell us what happened between you and Orochimaru?"

Naruto nodded, "Yea, but I'll tell you guys on the way there since there is no reason to still be here." His stomach growled. "First we need to find some food first."

"I already went and got some. Come on, you can eat it on the way." Sakura produced some of the food she foraged.

"Alright, let's go."

The three gathered their things, and the two scrolls, and headed off towards the tower. Naruto, after finishing his small meal, he began going over the fight – making sure to leave out the some of the detail – between him and Orochimaru.

They of course, didn't ask any questions. Only silence remained between them as continued moving forward.

Naruto, however, noticed Sasuke struggling. It seemed that the curse seal did more than give him power. He noticed that the Uchiha kept gripping his neck out of pain. _'I should have Jiraiya-sensei or Kakashi-sensei look at it.'_

It wasn't until they reached a small river to take a small break in the morning did they meet Kabuto.

He told them he wasn't after their scrolls and asked if he could travel with them to the tower. They agreed, mostly because Kabuto offered to help with Sakura's medical ninjutsu on the way there after discovering her trying to heal Sasuke's wounds. He was impressed with her skills.

Half a day later they arrived. They didn't hit any obstacles heading there and so they made good progress.

"Thank you for letting me accompany you guys here." Kabuto said with respect.

"Not a problem." Sasuke said as he turned away. He headed for their team's assigned door. "It was safer to travel in four anyways since we would have had an advantage over the other genin groups."

"Thank you Kabuto-san for helping me with my medical Ninjutsu," Sakura said as she watched Sasuke leave them.

"It's not a problem, really." Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose, "You have a real gift for it Sakura. You should consider becoming a medical ninja."

She blushed, "Thanks Kabuto-san."

They exchanged a few more words until she left to find Sasuke. Only Naruto remained.

"Kabuto-san, thank you for guiding us here," He said before he too turned to enter their assigned door.

Kabuto waited till all three had disappeared, "not a problem Namikaze-san," He smirked, "the pleasure was all mine." He produced three ninja info cards with the information he was able to gather from them. "The pleasure was all mine..."

/Break/

"What are we supposed to do now?" Sakura asked. They could tell she was irritated.

"I think we open the scrolls." Sasuke suggested.

Naruto shrugged as he watched the Uchiha and Haruno produced said scrolls and open them.

Suddenly smoke filled the area and Sasuke and Sakura abandoned their scrolls to the floor.

"Yo," Kakashi's voice came from the smoke, "Day Two? I'm impressed. I guess it's time for me to do my job," he sighed while closing his favorite book.

Naruto perked up when he heard his sensei. "I assume we passed." He said as the smoke cleared.

"You did, but before we get all excited, I'm instructed to tell you about this message that is written on the wall behind me." The one-eyed Jounin tried to turn to face the message that was written on the wall, but he was stopped by Naruto.

"First though I think you should hear what I have to tell you." Naruto narrowed his eyes, "It's about Orochimaru."

**A/N**: I'm tired so I'm stopping here. I hope you like the longer chapter as well as the fight scenes. I didn't really like the fight scenes. It took two rewrites and I still couldn't get the feel of this chapter down. Maybe it will be better next chapter.

Also, the Naruto/Temari thing will begin next chapter so you have that to look forward to.

Here are some of the things I've read in the reviews. I would like to just take a moment to address them.

1) Sakura learning Genjutsu. It was stated in the manga that she has the best analytical skills among team 7 and it has also been hinted many times that she has an aptitude for it, such as recognizing the sign saying Room 301 on the second floor or during the Chuunin finals when the crowd was placed under genjutsu or when Kakashi tells her she has a thing for it (Chapter 116 pg. 17). I must say that this will be the only genjutsu she learns because it will become very important later on and it will affect the story. Later she will only stick to medical Ninjutsu but for now she will need it.

2) I didn't think Danzou would turn off so many readers. He's just another character that needs to be developed. But if you need reassurance, then let me just say that yes he will eventually get what's coming to him. It might not be for a long time (say 6 or so chapters) and he may do things you guys will absolutely hate, but he will and it will be bittersweet (I already have it planned out).

3) Naruto not being all powerful. Are you guys kidding me? Did you even read the manga? Nagato needed Konan and Yahiko to help defeat Jiraiya's clone after three years of training! He didn't know any of the path techniques by then and he certainly wasn't badass. Just look at the flashback of when Yahiko died. He was a still a wimp at the age of 16 or so! It took much pain and experience for him to become the badass that he is and it took him years to finally kill Hanzou, so do not tell me Naruto should be all powerful. That's just not how my reality works. No shinobi, no matter what they are born with, do not know how to be badass at the age of 12. Hell, even Itachi needed help destroying his own clan (Madara and presumably Root and Danzou. Even Orochimaru might have had some involvement). Some might be geniuses, but they still need teaching.

That's about it.

I wrote this in a hurry so if you spot any grammar/spelling/plot mistakes, please tell me about it.

Other than that, thanks for reading and please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N: **Surprise! I updated finally! Hope no one is too mad at me. First I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. I appreciate them greatly and they kept me going. Second I would like to apologize for being late with this one. I told a person who messaged me a while ago that I would have this out a few weeks ago. Well a few things popped up and I had to deal with them. Also, I'm a very lazy person. Sad thing is that this chapter has been done for about a month now. Since then I've only edited it and added one scene to it.

Another thing, a few of my reviewers are pretty good at observation and yes the summoning thing will be explained in this chapter.

Next: Naruto learns a new path. This was the hardest path to acknowledge and deal with, so I gave it the simplest solution. I hope it's kind of realistic in a way. Can anyone guess which one it is? There is only two left to learn really besides the seventh path…

Next: Some people think that the Rinnegan is always active. If this was the case then the first time Nagato activated his was when his parents died. During that time he blacked out and killed the leaf-nin and then he would have been walking around with the Rinnegan. You would have thought that when he met with the three Sannin that one of them would notice the legendary eyes of his. Also, you would have thought Yahiko would have seen them and have been shouting from the rooftops, telling everyone that his friend was special. The reason no doujutsu is always active is because it consumes chakra to use so logically it can't be. The Byakugan and Sharingan aren't always active, and the reason Pain has his active all the time is because he's constantly controlling six puppet paths. Just to clarify a few things on my end. This is how I see it and how my story will go.

Question: How do you edit past chapters? I've been trying to do that for months now and I can't seem to fix previous errors. It's driving me crazy that I am informed by my reviewers that I spelled something wrong or made a grammar mistake and I can't even fix it!

Lastly, thank you for saying this was one of the better Rinnegan stories out there although now I have to raise the bar a little on my own writing. Thanks for that….dammit.

Chapter 8: The Chuunin Exams Part 2

He felt slightly uncomfortable as he made his way across the crowded street, not because of the rain that constantly poured down all around him, but because he was still new to this village. He felt that he didn't belong there.

He could tell that it was still early in the evening as he made his way through the crowd, even though he couldn't see the position of the sun through the dark clouds. It was effortless to him to wade through the villagers, but that wasn't what was bothering him. He was trying to observe his surroundings while trying not to attract the attention of any of the Hidden Rain villagers while he walked past them.

Still though, when people spotted the black cloak with red clouds that he wore, they treated him kindly and with respect. He figured that they recognized the organization that he now belonged to, but he also thought it might have been the Hidden Rain headband that now rested on his forehead with a scratch marked through the symbol. He wasn't quite sure. Either way it made his job easier.

He ignored the looks of interest strangers gave him as he moved on. He didn't want to engage in conversation just yet because it would be a distraction to what he was doing. He needed to get things done for his new friend.

The boy had finally made it all the way to his last stop to fill up the black bag he carried diagonally across his back with supplies. He entered the store.

"Ah, Haku-san!" A recognizable voice shouted from inside. "You made it!" He waved his hands above his head enthusiastically as if trying to get his attention.

Haku smiled warmly from the sound of Tobi's voice as he watched his antics from the entrance. He then moved further into the store, shook his clothing in an attempt to dry himself off, and approached the man that he considered his newest and only friend. "Hello Tobi-san, I was wondering when you would get back." Haku greeted in a more calmly manner than his friend had. "How was your meeting with Pein-sama?"

"It was amazing Haku-san!"

"It must have been. You were there for quite a while." Haku smiled back as he looked over to the man behind the counter and handed him a list of supplies that Tobi had given him earlier that day.

The masked nin scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Ah, sorry Haku-san! It took longer than expected, but I got you something!" He squealed in excitement as he reached into his pocket and produced a ring.

"This is for you Haku-san! The leader wants you to join us!" Tobi sounded thrilled.

"He does? But I haven't even met the man yet." Haku replied quietly to himself as he reached out for the ring. _'All I know is his name…I wonder what he looks like.' _

"You will meet him soon, but not right now. First we need to complete a mission!" The masked nin practically yelled while pumping his fist into the air. It seemed that he was already full with excitement and eagerness. When he saw the confusion in his new friends face, he added, "Think of it as a test!"

"Alright I guess. So what is this test of yours?" Haku asked with uncertainty while looking down to study the ring in his palm of his right hand. _'Wait…isn't this Tobi's ring?'_

"We are headed to Fire Country. They are hosting the Chuunin Exams this year and there is someone there that has peaked Leader-sama's interest!"

"Someone of interest? Are we recruiting more members?" Haku asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. He was positive that he was not ready to go recruiting members for an organization that he had only been a part of for a few days. But, if Tobi-san wanted him to, he would.

"No," Tobi placed his hands out reassuringly, "It's not like that! We are merely observing someone of great value to us. They won't be joining us, but we are interested in what they are doing."

"So we're spying?"

"Sort of…"

With that, Haku noticed the man behind the counter return with the items that were listed. He paid the man and placed the items in his bag. Then they were off.

It was only a few minutes later that Haku was leaving the village with his friend Tobi leading the way. _'This place seemed nice, much better than…'_ Thoughts of a small village covered in snow flashed in his mind. He could still remember the soft, pure white specks of snow falling gently around the house he grew up in. The memories of his childhood were still fresh in his mind, although he tried to lock them away. It was the ideas of Akatsuki that brought them back, the idea of peace.

It was only because several years had passed that Haku was able to reflect on his father's actions. He was able to understand his violent rage, but he could never forget or forgive what he had done. Still, now that he was older with much more time on his hands, he figured going back and visiting their graves would bring comfort to him. _'I'll return to visit my old house after Akatsuki achieves peace.' _

"So are we heading there right away?" Haku asked from the back.

"Oh not yet! The chuunin exams won't start for a while. First we need to head to Water Country."

Haku stopped immediately. "Water country? Why?" He was worried. _'I can't go back there now. Zabuza and I spent years hiding from them. That was where I grew up…'_

"Haku-san, I recognize the ice manipulation ability of yours. You may not believe this but I know where your clan used to live within the Mist Village. We need to go there and find any scrolls that belonged to your clan. You need to master your abilities."

Haku was still pale but now he was suspicious as well. _'I forgot that this man knows more than he should.'_ He paused before responding, "Alright, but I don't want to stay long."

Tobi nodded in understanding. "Trust me Haku-san that part of the Hidden Mist village is abandoned now. No one has been there since the…" Tobi's voice was filled with sadness as he purposely trailed off. He left it off because he figured Haku could infer what he was talking about. The genocide that killed his people, along with others with Kekkei Genkai.

Haku sighed before moving on. He knew that eventually this day would come. He would go back to the place where his mother had fled. He would be going back to the Mist village.

/Break/

The blonde-haired Jinchuuriki rolled out of bed as fast as he could – which wasn't very fast at all. He was tired and it was early. He was woken up by an Anbu who was ordered to "fetch" him by the Third Hokage only a few minutes prior. For Naruto it was too early. _'How does that old man get up so early?'_

The boy signaled that he was up and asked for a few minutes to get ready. The Anbu seemed to understand as he nodded and left the room to wait outside.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. From where he was he was able to see the forest that surrounded the tower he was staying in. _'It's only day three…'_ he thought lousily to himself. He was still in the Forest of Death. _'This little test won't be over for a few more days.'_

His memories from yesterday suddenly came rushing back to him. _'Orochimaru…'_

The blonde took a curious look around the room. He noted the three beds that were generously spread out to allow comfort, and a single bathroom that they had to share. He was sure that every genin team that arrived early stayed in a room similar to the one they had.

In one bed he spotted Sakura sleeping. She didn't even hear the Anbu enter, but neither had he. The other bed, unfortunately, was still empty. _'Sasuke,'_ He thought to himself, _'Are you still…'_ He couldn't afford to dwell on it too long because he remembered the Anbu that was still waiting patiently outside the room.

Naruto used the restroom and dressed before heading out into the hallway where the Anbu stood. He closed the door as quietly as he could. When the Anbu spotted the boy, he motioned to follow him as he led the Namikaze to the Hokage. The meeting spot was located closer to the top of the tower.

Eventually they arrived. When they got there, the Hokage, as well as Jiraiya and Kakashi, were sitting in a circular room. Four chairs were situated in the center facing each other with a small, circular table between them. Drinks were placed out.

Naruto took a quick glance around the room. It was from the windows that surrounded the room that he was able to tell that it was still early morning outside because the sun had barely risen. Its warm rays were barely visible through the trees.

"Good Morning, Hokage-sama," He greeted before turning to both Jiraiya and Kakashi.

"So it seems like you've passed the second test squirt," Jiraiya teased as he ruffled the boy's hair, "In two days too! I'm surprised."

"It would have been one day if I had a better teacher," Naruto responded lightheartedly.

"OH," Jiraiya laughed, "That stung a little kid."

It was during this time that the Anbu escort took his leave.

"So how's Sasuke?" Naruto asked out of concern. He didn't know why he cared so much for the Uchiha, but he figured it had something to do with "creating a bond" with him. It was something that Kakashi had discussed with him on his first mission.

"He'll be fine." Kakashi didn't look away from his little orange book. "He's a stubborn kid. I'm sure he'll be up either today or tomorrow."

Naruto looked down briefly as he digested the small bit of news. He remembered Kakashi placing a seal around the curse mark yesterday when they arrived at the tower. He was sure Sakura would be happy to hear it.

"Naruto, would you mind if you took a seat. I have a feeling this ordeal might take a while," The Hokage motioned to one of the seats in the middle of the room.

The Namikaze nodded and headed for the one that faced the windows on the east side of the room. He chose that seat so he could watch the sun rise. It was also so he could keep track of how long he was there.

"Alright," The Hokage began as everyone took their seats, "Tell us exactly what happened."

Kakashi placed his book away and kept his ears fully open. He was curious as to what exactly went on in the Forest of Death. He already had a pretty good idea but he knew he was missing much of the details. To him it was worth waking up early for.

Naruto sat calmly before the Third Hokage as he recited exactly what had transpired during the second test. He was lucky that two of his senseis, Jiraiya and Kakashi, were present because he didn't really feel like telling the story multiple times.

The blonde knew however, that he would have to retell it to Danzou later on. He wasn't looking forward to it because that man was always full of questions. He could never let anything go by unnoticed or unremarked.

Shortly after sitting down he dove right into the story. It began when his team arrived at the Forest of Death along with the other genins.

Occasionally during his retelling, he would look to his left where Kakashi sat, or to his right, where Jiraiya sat, when they had something to say, which happened quite a bit. In fact, they asked more questions than he originally thought they would. Most were about his abilities.

/Break/

The young, blonde-haired Nin stood quietly as he stared out the window. He was looking in the direction of the fading sun. He was watching it set in the distance through the thick trees, or at least he tried to, while his thoughts began to wonder.

His mind with filled with unsorted thoughts from earlier that day, most having to do with how he couldn't believe he had spent the entire day in conversation. He spent all day explaining what happened yesterday. It was maddening. It seemed that Orochimaru's appearance was much more serious than he initially believed.

First he had to speak with the Third Hokage, Kakashi-sensei, and Jiraiya-sensei. Then it was with Danzou-sama. Only now it appeared that he would finally have some time to himself. Too bad he was mentally exhausted to train.

He went over what had transpired in his head multiple times and found that he could have saved himself hours of conversation had he not mentioned the fact that he could rip out souls or that he could read minds. He almost regretted it, but eventually he found that it was for the better. They now knew his powers and could help him more in his training, or at least Jiraiya and Danzou could. Plus he was finding it harder and harder to lie to Jiraiya. He didn't know why, and it bugged him.

Still, he was jealous of Sakura. He had run into her only a few hours ago and found that she had spent the majority of the day training on medical ninjutsu with Kabuto. He wasn't able to train at all because he had to explain the events to everyone while Sakura was only questioned for a brief amount of time. Sometimes he wished he wasn't as important as he currently was. Maybe then people would leave him alone for once and let him train.

It was only when he thought of Sakura did he find it strange that a genin like Kabuto could be so…knowledgeable about medical ninjutsu. Eventually though he let it leave his mind. He figured the older Nin probably was very talented at medical ninjutsu because that was his preferred study, but not so much outside of it – such as combat or leadership. That would explain why he was still a genin at his age.

When Naruto was done fuming over Sakura's luck on getting to train most of the day, he switched over to Sasuke. The boy remembered from his conversation with the Third and two of his teachers that Kakashi was assigned to watch over the Uchiha as well as having several Anbu squads watch over him too – in rotating shifts of course. They weren't taking any chances when it came to Orochimaru. Even Jiraiya would help when it came to looking out for the boy, but only because there was no bathhouses nearby where he could do his research.

The real reason Jiraiya volunteered to watch the Uchiha was so that he could study the curse seal. He needed to know exactly what he was dealing with. But when he wasn't spending his time watching over the Uchiha, he would spend it with his pupil when Danzou wasn't around.

But out of all of these thoughts only one truly irritated him, and that was the fact that he resorted to using the Kyuubi's chakra with his fight against Orochimaru. He hated that being more than anything in the world for what it had done to his life.

It was the Kyuubi's fault that he was alienated as a child, where he was left alone to wallow in self pity and confusion. It was the Kyuubi's fault that he had no parents that he could go to for help or guidance. It was the Kyuubi's fault that he was called a monster and left to experience loneliness – which was worse than hell itself.

He swore to himself that he wouldn't be visiting that Fox anytime soon, even if he had important news about the Rinnegan.

The blonde heard the door to the room suddenly open behind him which effectively brought him out of his mental wonderings. He then turned to see who it was. Naruto was originally expecting Sakura, considering that he was in his team's assigned room in the tower, but instead he found it to be Jiraiya.

"How are you doing there kiddo?" He said as he entered the room cautiously.

"About time you got here." He replied back in a soft tone. It was definitely not what Jiraiya was expecting. He didn't sound mad at all.

The Toad Sage scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Man I figured you'd be angry." He was a few hours late.

"It's fine. It gave me some time to think." He responded while he turned back to the window.

"You're thinking back to when you faced Orochimaru, aren't you?" Jiraiya turned serious as he walked casually across the room to stand next to his student. He too was staring out at the window so he could see the fading lights from the sun through the foliage of the trees, "I noticed this morning, when you were telling us what happened, that you weren't pleased using _its_ chakra."

"Yea that's part of it." He said mostly to himself. He then turned to face Jiraiya. "I can't believe I had to resort to using the fox's chakra. I felt so weak going back for his help."

"You are not weak for using all the resources that are available to you Naruto. The Kyuubi's chakra is a tool to be used."

"No!" Naruto replied rather harshly, "It's a weakness. My father didn't need demonic chakra to be strong. If he doesn't need it, then I don't need it."

"Quit being stubborn," Jiraiya said in a calm, yet powerful tone.

"I'm not being stubborn!"

"Then quit acting like a child," Jiraiya said suddenly and quite forcefully, "You are not thinking this through. You are letting your personal feelings get in the way. The fox is trapped within you whether you like it or not. You might as well use him."

Naruto looked at him coldly, "I'm not acting like a child." He paused for a few seconds while he looked away from him, "Even if I am, it doesn't matter anymore. I promise right now that I'll never use it again."

The toad Sage rubbed his chin as if he was in deep thought while suppressing a frustrated sigh. He noticed his student was slowly starting to calm down. "Why do you really hate using that chakra so much?" He asked casually before slowly crossing his arms. He waited patiently for a response. He already knew what it would be though because they had already had this conversation way back when Naruto first rejected the idea of training to use it.

"We've gone over this Jiraiya-sensei. The fox is the cause of much of my pain. When I see it, I'm reminded of what I lost and what I had to go through. It's too painful to even look at." His voice was low and calm now as he looked down at the floor.

"It made you stronger didn't it? It helped you understand the pain of others – the pain of loneliness and rejection. That alone was worth the burden wasn't it? It gives you power, just like the Rinnegan. If you aren't going to use the fox, then don't use your Rinnegan because they're both the same."

"They are not!" He was angry now, "They are completely different from each other."

"How so? They both grant power and they are both within you whether you like it or not. The only difference is that one is a doujutsu and the other is chakra."

Naruto didn't respond. He was too busy trying to ignore the justification of the Kyuubi within him and it's comparison to his eyes.

The Sannin looked at him with a serious expression before placing hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Look Naruto, your father sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-tailed fox into you. He meant for you to have it and use it. That's why he chose you out of anyone else. He had faith that you would use its chakra responsibly and to keep the villagers safe."

"He didn't want me to use it! Only contain it." Naruto replied back quickly while shrugging Jiraiya's hand off his shoulder. There was a hint of anger in his voice as he said the last part. "And that's all I'll do…" His voice quietly trailed off.

"No I'm pretty sure he meant for you to use it," He said. "Later on during your studies with seals, you'll see that he split the chakra into two parts, Yin and Yang."

"Ying and Yang?" He asked. Any anger that he held was almost gone.

The toad Sannin plastered a wide grin on his face as he crouched down to eye level with the boy, "Alright Naruto, I'll explain how your seal works. Afterwards you can decide if you still want to use the Kyuubi's chakra." He said, "Does that sound like a deal?"

Naruto smiled, not because of the deal itself, but because he was always curious as to how his Father's techniques worked. "It's a deal."

Now he understood why Jiraiya was beginning to grow on him. It was because he was a living doorway to the past, but more Jiraiya treated him nicely. Almost like a father figure.

/Break/

A small, white snake slithered cautiously across the wooden floor. It moved inch by inch as it made its way to the bed on the right side of the room.

It was sure to avoid the moonlight that shined brightly through the windows as it tried to stay within the darkness.

It ventured out into the middle of the room for only a few seconds, so that it could reach the bed, when a sword punctured its head. It gave a small, quiet hiss in surprise before it died.

Danzou stood over the dead snake in curiosity. He knew who it belonged too, but wondered why it was here. _'Was it sent to kill the boy? Or merely mark him?'_ He looked to see his student sleeping soundly in one bed, and a pink-haired girl in the other. _'That must be Haruno Sakura,'_ any other thoughts he might have had were interrupted when he caught a glimpse of a silhouette moving outside the window.

Within seconds Danzou was outside the tower and standing on a rather large tree branch. He was looking about the area.

"I know you're here," He said as he tossed the dead snake that he was holding onto the ground in front of him, "You can come out now." He ignored the fallen bodies of the anbu that scattered the area.

"Ah, Danzou-sama," A voice that Danzou immediately recognized filled the air around him, "I didn't think you'd be here."

"What are you doing in Konoha?" He asked, although he already knew the answer thanks to Jiraiya's spy network.

"It hurts my feelings," Orochimaru started to say when he emerged from a tree only a few dozen yards away from where Danzou stood, "that you didn't even ask how I was doing. Surely you must be interested. After all, you're always interested as to what I'm up to…or what I have learned from my experiments."

"I hear that you want to attack Konoha." He took charge of the conversation by changing the subject.

The snake Sannin's eyes widened slightly with surprise. "I'm curious as to how you know about that."

"It doesn't matter, but I'm willing to cut a deal with you if you tell me what you want with the Namikaze and with the Uchiha." Danzou's voice remained calm as he locked his eyes upon the traitorous S-ranked Nin.

"Hm, trying to bargain another deal with me? Aren't those eyes on that arm of yours enough? Or do you want Sasuke's eyes as well?"

"Don't waste my time. You know full well what I want."

Orochimaru looked at him seriously, "You want to be Hokage, don't you? That's always been your dream, but I wonder, how will you be Hokage after I destroy the Hidden Leaf?"

Danzou looked at him with determination, "I'm willing to offer you a deal. If you refuse it, then your dream of crushing the Hidden Leaf will never come to fruition."

The snake nin considered the man before him, "What makes you think that I won't just kill you were you stand?"

Danzou smirked as he moved his right hand out from its resting position. "I assume that you remember what this arm is capable of." He placed his left arm over it and grabbed a part of the wrapping that covered his arm so, if need be, he could remove it.

Orochimaru gave a genuine laugh before responding, "I know all too well what that arm can do. After all, it was me who helped you attain it, but I'm not interested in Sharingan transplants. I'm after the genuine article."

Danzou took a few seconds to register the words, "Uchiha Sasuke?"

"He was my first choice, but has since then been replaced by another, more talented young man."

"Namikaze Naruto?" He asked, "Are you looking to transplant the Rinnegan?"

"Oh no," his voice sounded gleeful, "I plan on taking his entire being."

"Hm…then that means you finally found a way to bind your soul to another body."

"Correct!" Orochimaru practically yelled as he ripped his face off to reveal the face of a young girl, "How do you like it?"

Danzou was beginning to piece all the puzzles together. He knew Orochimaru since he was just a boy and remembered his lifelong goal to master all jutsu. His lust for power and knowledge was evident from the very beginning. The Sharingan would be ideal for his goal, but since discovering the Rinnegan, he found the Sharingan to be still helpful, but not perfect like the Rinnegan.

"How many times have you used that jutsu?" He asked out of interest.

"This would be my second body." He placed his original face back on.

Danzou viewed Orochimaru in a new light now as he revised the deal in his head that he was originally going to make.

He thought it over once more and decided that the deal would be worth it.

"That is an interesting technique you have there, but it is no substitute for immortality."

"I know this, but at least with this technique it will give me an eternity to find a more permanent one." Orochimaru smirked back.

'_That's true,'_ he thought, _'he may be a monster, but he can still help me.'_ He cleared his voice before speaking again, "I still have a deal to offer you, Orochimaru, if you're willing to take it."

The snake nin's ears perked up, "What did you have in mind?"

After much time negotiating, Danzou left to return to the tower. He was wearing one of his rare smiles. Never before had he been more excited. _'With this I could become Konoha's permanent Hokage.'_

Meanwhile, Orochimaru stayed behind to ponder the deal he had just made. _'That senile old man,'_ he thought amusedly, _'he never did take a moment to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Why he wastes his time on useless dreams are beyond me.'_

The nin shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to leave the Forest of Death. His time there was done. It was only after he left the village did the thought of double-crossing Danzou come to his mind. _'Maybe…but first I'll let everything play out.'_

/Break/

Team 7 stood alongside the other teams that had made it to the end of the second test. Naruto was standing in the front of his team, which was on the far left of the entire group of genins. Behind him stood Sasuke and behind him was Sakura. All were facing the Hokage who was situated at the front of the large arena-like room. Behind the Hokage were the Jounin squad leaders of the genin teams that had passed the second test.

Naruto wore a neutral expression as he looked down at the ground about a few feet in front of him. He was in his own world. _'Another stepping stone conquered. All that's left is the last test. Then finally I won't have to be stuck on a team.'_ He thought. It was only a few seconds later that he realized that, if he became a chuunin, he wouldn't know what to do next. Would he join Root? After all, they were like family to him, but they had kept so many secrets that pertained to him that he found it irritating.

Would he remain with Team 7? Would he go off on his own? He didn't quite know the answer but there was little he could do at the moment except to achieve the rank of Chuunin.

But would it be so bad to stick with team 7?

Suddenly he was snapped out of his own world when the Hokage began speaking about the importance of the Chuunin exam and what the secret intentions behind it. He explained everything in great detail, but when he finished, he instructed that there would be a preliminary round because there were too many chuunin-hopefuls left.

That was fine with Naruto.

The blonde turned around to see the eagerness in Sasuke's eyes. He knew that the boy had only woken up from his small coma the night before. He was the only one on the team that wasn't able to practice as much during the few days they had off. Still, he could tell that the Uchiha was stronger than most of the other genin here.

Then he looked past him to where Sakura stood. Her eyes were focused on the other genins, most likely comparing herself to the others. He had to admit that the girl was smart and was able to soak up the information that Kabuto fed her like a sponge. Plus she had the best chakra control on the team.

"Alright, before we begin I must ask that all those who aren't feeling up to the task of fighting please leave now. The exit is behind you." A man appeared before the Hokage said before he began an unusual fit of coughing.

Team 7 was shocked when Kabuto raised his hand to leave. After giving some made up excuse, he left.

Sakura felt torn, but before Kabuto had left he did part some words of encouragement to her.

"Sasuke are you sure you want to continue on? Or do you need to nap some more?" Naruto asked jokingly.

The Uchiha glared at him angrily. He knew what Naruto had said was all in good fun but he was too riled up for any humor, "I'm done letting you be the stronger one Naruto. You are the only one I want to fight, and I will beat you."

The blonde shifted his weight onto his left foot as he crossed his arms. He spent a few good seconds sizing up Sasuke, "I guess I can't say I haven't been looking for a rematch. After all, a good punching bag is hard to find."

Sasuke gritted his teeth but held his emotions in check, mainly because Naruto was right. He didn't have time to really train the last few days because of Orochimaru and his supposed "gift", but he felt that with a few more months of training that he could. All he would have to do is obtain those eyes…his brother's eyes, but who was he closest to?_ 'The Mangekyou Sharingan…whose life must I take to obtain it?' _He already knew the answer but chose to ignore it, mostly because he had no hope of defeating Naruto at the moment.

It was almost a sick game that frustrated him to no end. He needed the Mangekyou to defeat Naruto, but it could only awaken it after defeating him.

'_Why is he the only one closest to me? Why?' _

Truth be told it was because he admired as well as hated his teammate. He admired him for his strength, but hated him for it too. He always thought of him, wondering what the blonde was doing. What were his training methods or how far has he been progressing. He wasn't used to being bested by anyone from the academy. In fact, the only other person he considered better than him was Itachi. He hated both almost equally now.

"Alright, well it seems that everyone else is able to fight. I'll start off by introducing myself. I am Gekkou Hayate and I'll be judging the preliminaries." He said between his unusual fits of coughing. He then pointed up towards a massive display board that was high up on the wall behind the Third Hokage, "If everyone will direct their attention to the board, we'll go ahead and get started."

Everyone watched in fascination while a profound, but awkward silence filled the room. Suddenly, two names appeared on the board.

_Rock Lee vs. Inuzuka Kiba_

"Rock Lee and Inuzuka Kiba please remain here while the rest head for the stairs. We will now start the preliminaries."

Naruto watched Lee's antics only for a few moments before he turned around and headed for the stairs. He remembered Lee's impressive speed and already had his money down on him winning.

"Gai-sensei! Can you believe I am up first! I am so excited!" He pumped his fists in the air, firing burning in his eyes. "I am truly blessed!"

"It seems that your youthful spirit awarded you the first opportunity to fight! Congratulations Lee!" Gai fell back into his good guy pose, "I only have one word of advice, and that is to watch out for his dog. It seems suspicious."

Lee immediately took out his notepad and pencil so he could write it down.

"Good luck, Lee! I know your youthful spirit won't allow you to lose!"

"Thank you Gai-sensei!"

Meanwhile, Naruto watched from above as he stood next to his teammates. From where he was he could easily see the seal that surrounded Orochimaru's curse mark on Sasuke's neck. He was already trying to piece what he knew about seals, but it was still above his league because he only recognized parts of Kakashi's handy work.

'_Who knew seals could be so complicated? I guess I should respect Jiraiya and Kakashi a little more.'_

He then looked around and noticed that the teams were more or less separated out by their village. All the Konoha nin were on his side, the Sand was on the opposite side of the room and the Sound was off on their own.

He spotted Temari. _'What is it about her that keeps grabbing my attention?'_

"Alright, are you two ready?" Hayate asked. When he saw the fighters nod, he let them begin.

Naruto looked down adn watched with little excitement because, in his professional opinion, the fight wasn't entertaining at all. Akamaru transformed into a Kiba look-a-like and both began to spin around the room rapidly. Both were shocked when they couldn't hit their opponent.

After toying around with them, Lee congratulated them on their hard work and effort before he quickly knocked out them out with a swift kick Kiba's stomach and a powerful punch to Akamaru's stomach. The dog immediately transformed back into its normal form, before passing out next to its master.

"The winner is Rock Lee."

The green-spandex wearing nin jumped around in joy. "I did it Gai-sensei! I won!"

"Good job Lee!" He fell into his good guy pose. With his teeth sparkling and thumb up, he told Lee to hurry back up the stairs to join them.

_Zaku vs. Aburame Shino _

Naruto was more excited about this match than the previous one for one reason only, and it was because of Shino. He had heard much about the Aburame clan but he was never able to see them in action. He was curious to see the bugs the Aburame clan could control in action.

At first he thought that the fight overall wouldn't be at all interesting because Shino's opponent had two broken arms, but only after a short while did he realize that it was all a rouse in hopes of gaining the surprise advantage. It still didn't work though as he was defeated rather quickly.

'_Shino is smarter than I realize. To plan ahead like that and to assume that his arms weren't broken was very clever.'_ He had new found respect for Shino.

"The Winner is Aburame Shino."

After Shino made his way back up to his group, they congratulated him before looking back up to the display board.

_Ten-Ten vs. Temari_

Naruto read the names in his head with more enthusiasm than he realized. He had been eager to see Temari fight since he had first met her a week ago. He looked across the room to where the Sand trio where. From where he stood it looked as if she was smiling. _'She's confident that she'll win,' _he thought just before turning his attention to Ten-ten_, 'and yet she doesn't even know what her opponent can do.'_

When both Kunoichi made it to the arena below, Lee began to shout encouraging words, "GO TEN-TEN! LET THE FLAMES OF YOUTH IGNITE YOUR WILL TO WIN!"

"Silence Lee," Neji said in a harsh whisper, "You'll distract her with all your yelling." He was standing next to his hyper teammate.

"You are right Neji," Lee realized he shouldn't be hindering his teammate's chances of winning, "I'M SORRY TEN-TEN FOR DISTRACTING YOU!"

The girl known as Ten-Ten tried to ignore her overactive teammate, but she couldn't help but give a small smile. _'Lee you idiot.'_ She thought happily, _'You always have believed in me. I just wish Neji would acknowledge me like you do…' _Her thoughts ended sadly, but she managed to keep her spirits high.

The blonde folded his arms on the railing while slightly leaning over them. He then waited patiently for the fighters to get ready. He didn't acknowledge his Hidden Leaf comrades next to him as they voiced their support.

'_It's odd to see two serious Kunoichi at one time. It's sad that they both have to fight each other considering they both seem determined.'_ He thought just as the match began.

Naruto never took his eyes off the fighters. He was amazed at Ten-ten's prowess at weapons, but when it became obvious that it was her only skill set, he felt bad for her. Not because she relied too much on weapons, but because her opponent, Temari, was a wind type user and could manipulate thrown objects. _'She's probably stronger than most of the leaf genin here. Too bad she was paired up with the Temari.'_

Then there was Temari. It was during this fight that he was slowly starting to put the pieces together on her fighting style. The fact that she carried a giant fan as well as being a wind type user made it obvious that she was a long distance fighter. Her attacks also covered a large area. _'She's definitely powerful. Her attacks are also effective, but is she useless without her fan?'_

It seemed like the fight was over before it started. Ten-ten was defeated.

"The winner is Temari."

Naruto's eyes seemed to follow Temari as she went back to team.

Kakashi had been called many things in his life, and observant was definitely one of them. He had caught Naruto staring at the Sand Kunoichi more than once and wasn't even the slightest bit upset that a Leaf comrade lost to her. _'He seems to have taken an interest in her._' He noted with slight amusement.

The Copy-nin then glanced over to Temari. _'Liking someone from a different village can be very dangerous, especially for comrades.'_ He couldn't help but smile though when he remembered the conversation he had with Naruto about Sakura liking Sasuke.

'_Hm. It's interesting that Naruto is drawn towards the strong-willed type of girls. He seems to be more like his father every day. I hope Naruto doesn't go through what his father had to…'_

The Jounin then turned back to Naruto, but he was already gone. _'Where did he-?' _He spotted him walking down the stairs. _'Where does he think he's going?'_

Meanwhile, Naruto was walking down the stairs to cross the arena. He had no idea why he decided to go over to them or even what he was going to say to them when he got there.

He was sure he'd think of something.

Eventually he made it across and began ascending the stairs. When he got to the top, he spotted the sand trio a dozen yards ahead staring at him.

"What are you doing here?" Kankurou asked rudely. "Aren't you supposed to be with your little buddies or something?" He added rather harshly.

"You're Namikaze Naruto. I remember you." Gaara said before anyone else could say anything, "I've heard much about you since I've been here." The ambience around him was darkening.

"Oh that's right, now I remember you." Kankurou said shortly after his brother, "We meet before the chuunin exams. We need to pick up where we left off. Maybe after the prelims?"

"No, we didn't come here to start fights Kankurou."

Naruto could tell that there was fear in the older Nin's voice. _'Are they scared of him? Do they see him as a monster? Or is it me? What exactly have they heard about me…'_ He quickly shook off the notion when he noticed the dark aura coming from the red headed sand nin. It was a mystery he would solve later.

"A-Anyways, I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory." Naruto looked over towards Temari to see her reaction.

"You call that a victory?" She scoffed, "I call it domination." She responded confidently, "I thought the Kunoichi here were stronger than that. I'm kind of disappointed really."

Naruto was at a loss for words, but luckily for him the display board came to life to reveal the next two fighters.

_Kin vs. Nara Shikamaru_

This match, for Naruto, was intellectually pleasing. Even he didn't know how Nara would win, but the Leaf-nin pulled through, thanks to the intricacies of his shadow's skills. Still, Naruto believed he had most of it figured out thanks to his ocular powers that he used briefly. He was sure that no one noticed it.

"The winner is Nara Shikamaru."

"So what's the Sand village like?" Naruto asked after the match was over. He was trying his hardest not to seem awkward and to learn more about them.

Meanwhile, the leaf nin on the other side were curious as to what Naruto was up to. They wondered why he went over to speak with the Sand ninjas just after Ten-ten lost.

"I'm sure he's just gathering Intel." Kakashi said with a small smile although no one was able to see it through his mask. _'Still though, I need to remind him not to let his interest in her get in the way.'_

He looked over at the other Jounin who seemed to know what was going on. They looked at Kakashi as if to say 'you need to watch your student carefully'.

They knew all too well the consequences for falling for someone who belonged to another village. Comrades end up dying.

Kakashi gave them a quick nod and turned his head towards the display board.

_Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadou Yoroi_

"It looks like you're up, Sasuke." Kakashi informed the Uchiha who had his back against the railing. He slowly stepped away from the railing and headed for the arena.

This fight started more commotion than the previous ones because the "last" Uchiha was called to the arena. Naruto could see why they were excited. It wasn't everyday that people got to see the Sharingan. They weren't disappointed at all.

His opponent belonged to Kabuto's group and his abilities where a mystery to everyone. It turned out he could absorb people's chakra, but only if he touched them. That meant his powers were limited to short-distance fighting.

For him, the fight was way too fast. It only took a few minutes for Sasuke to analyze his opponent with his Sharingan and then attack with a few fire techniques as well as a bit of well placed Taijutsu. It was nothing special.

'_He relies on his Sharingan too much. I guess I rely on my Rinnegan just as muchl.' _

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke turned to face Naruto as if he was waiting for a response while the medic nin carted off his defeated opponent.

"I'm surprised you won Sasuke!" Naruto shouted in good humor, "I was positive I was going to have to come down there and help you out."

The young Uchiha looked up at him and clenched his fists, but only momentarily. He faced the ground and smiled while easing up the tension in his hands. It was funny to him that he was looking up to Naruto on the upper platform. To him that represented more than it should have. _'He's standing on the next level. Where are the stairs for me to climb to reach it?' _

He scoffed and turned away.

"Hey Naruto, what do you know of Sasuke?" Kankurou asked while everyone else waited for the Uchiha to make his way back up to his sensei and teammate.

"Only the usual." Naruto replied nonchalantly.

"That's it? Isn't he on your team?" He knew the blonde was holding back information. _'I need to squeeze as much as I can out of him while he's here.'_

"I'm sorry but I don't know very much." Naruto lied as he turned his head back to the arena. He was smart enough not to give out secrets about his team, especially since he didn't know what the third test consisted of. _'Actually, I really don't know much about him…except the usual.'_

The blonde looked up at the Uchiha and realized one very important thing. As much as he hated to admit it, he was just as cold and distant to others as Sasuke. _'I'm just like him. I don't really know a thing about Sakura or Sasuke and I'm sure they don't know a thing about me.'_ It was a sad thought.

Kankurou was about to lose his temper but Temari placed a firm hand on his shoulder to remind him not to make a scene.

_Hyuuga Neji vs. Hyuuga Hinata_

This match held a lot more family issues for the fighters than any other that Naruto had witnessed. It was also the most confusing. To Naruto, family was very important so he couldn't see why Neji would belittle his cousin and then try to kill her.

Already he didn't like the guy_. 'I would have given anything for a family. For him to treat them like that…what's wrong with him?'_ He knew by the way Neji spoke it seemed there was much more going on than he realized.

He could tell that the Hyuuga family kept many secrets and their hatred for each other probably ran very deep.

He silently activated his Rinnegan so that he could study the Hyuuga fighting style. He was surprised to see what the Hyuuga clan was capable of. 'So this is the gentle fist style.' He thought with amazement as Neji struck Hinata with his palm. _'He's injected his own chakra into Hinata's body. How devastating.'_

Winner: Hyuuga Neji

That infuriated him, but he expertly kept his emotions in check. _'His views on life, his arrogance. Is that how Sakura and Sasuke first saw me? Is that how everyone else sees me?' _Thoughts of when he first fought Sasuke resurfaced.

His eyes followed Hinata as the medic nin carted her out of the arena to be treated immediately.

"Well this is interesting!" A voice next to him said rather loudly, which snapped him back to reality.

Naruto turned to the owner of the voice.

"What do you mean?" He asked Kankurou.

The older nin pointed to the display board before walking past him. "I finally get to finish what I started a week ago!"

_Namikaze Naruto vs. Kankurou_

Naruto didn't know what to think other than that he needed to get to the arena and fight, so he followed Kankurou down the stairs. He was only a few steps in tow him. Behind him he could feel the jealousy radiating off of Gaara.

"This will be interesting." He heard Temari say from behind as he descended the stairs.

What was worse was having everyone's eyes upon him; whispers of the legendary Rinnegan began circulating the room. Excitement among the spectators was rising exponentially.

Soon he realized that the expectations that were placed on him by the Leaf, as well as everyone else were way too high. He couldn't lose here. He wouldn't lose here, especially since he was the carrier of the legendary Rinnegan.

Everyone was waiting to see it. After all, how many people have ever seen the legendary doujutsu?

He shrugged mentally before looking at his opponent. _'Just focus on the fight.'_

He came to understand that he already stood up to Kankurou before, but he didn't use his techniques last time so he was unsure how the fight would go.

After several seconds the fighters were ground level ready to fight.

"Are you both ready?" The proctor asked as he looked at both of them.

"Yea I'm ready," Kankurou said as he took off the wrapped package of his back and placed it next to himself.

"I'm also ready." Naruto replied while he ignored the whispers from the stands. He had yet to activate his eyes. _'I'm not going to use my Rinnegan this time. I will no longer be dependent on them.' _He thought back to all of his fights and how they all included the Rinnegan. _'It's just a tool to be used, just like the fox.' _

It was now time to prove to himself that he didn't rely on his eyes. He was more than that.

"Begin!" The proctor yelled before jumping back to allow them room.

Naruto moved slowly into his fighting stance while never taking his eyes off his opponent.

"I've heard a lot about you Naruto. They say that you have the eyes of the Rinnegan." Kankurou said as he tossed the wrapped package away from him. "I remember seeing it last time we met."

"Hm, well I won't be using it now," Naruto smiled back, "because I don't think I'll need it."

Kankurou scoffed lightheartedly, _'There is no way I can win here. However, if I am able to weaken him a bit then it would make the invasion much easier. That should be my goal.'_ He said to himself as thoughts of his poisoned covered weapons entered his mind.

The blonde wanted to win this fight without using his eyes, so he figured he would keep his distance while testing his opponent.

Kankurou wasted no time and began to charge. He knew that he needed to get as close as possible to him because he was more or less a close range fighter.

Naruto saw his opponent run towards him, so he followed suit. His arm reached back into his back pouch and quickly grabbed a hold of a few kunai.

As he ran towards Kankurou, he felt that this fight would be easier than he had planned. He was wrong.

Naruto was only half a dozen feet from the Sand nin when he suddenly had to dodge to his left because of Kankurou's surprise attack. The sand nin had caught the blonde off guard when he launched a volley of senbon needles from his mouth. It was only because of Naruto's natural reflexes that he was able to avoid them.

The Jinchuuriki wasted no time and threw his kunai while he dodged the initial attack.

Kankurou wasn't able to move quick enough, so he let the kunai hit his arm. He ignored them and followed his opponent.

Naruto, on the other hand, was surprised that the kunai didn't draw any blood at all. In fact, he was thrown off by the sound it made, as if it hit a tree trunk. _'Is he made of wood?' _

Something wasn't adding up, but he wasn't able to dwell on it because of another barrage of senbon needles.

"Doryuu Heki (Earth Style Wall)" The blonde quickly touched the ground, making a small, earth wall appear in front of him that rose close to six feet. The wall protected him from the incoming needles while he took the time to create a clone.

The clone quickly rushed out just after the last needle hit the wall and charged him. He dashed as fast as he could while dodging any other attacks that Kankurou threw at him.

Meanwhile, Naruto watched from a distance behind his wall with concerned thoughts. _'How is he able to spit out so many senbon needles like that? And why doesn't he bleed?'_ He was about to find out.

His clone made it to Kankurou and grabbed a hold of his forearm. "Raiton Kage Buunshin Bakuha (Lightning Style Shadow Clone explosion)" The clone exploded in an electrical burst of energy, shocking and destroying anything in the area.

Naruto stepped out from his small earth wall and waited for the smoke to clear from his exploding clone. What he saw after the smoke faded was something he wasn't expecting at all.

Kankurou still stood there, but his cloths were torn and ragged, revealing a wooden surface beneath them. His skin was flaking off to reveal the puppet that hid underneath. That was when the sound of intimidating clattering of teeth began.

The real Kankurou unraveled himself from the package that lay untouched on the ground. With a quick flick of his finger he made the cloths and cosmetics fall from his puppet.

"That makes a little more sense." Naruto said mostly to himself. _'This might be bad. I've never handled a puppeteer before. I don't even know how they work. I guess I should go for Kankurou since it would be a waste of time to attack a puppet.'_

The puppet levitated off the ground by a few inches as it slowly hovered over to its side, making sure to place itself between the two fighters. It began emitting a clicking noise, similar to teeth clattering rapidly.

'_I was hoping that the needles would be enough of a surprise to get him. I guess I need to go all out if I have a chance of stopping him.'_ Kankurou thought.

With a quick twitch of his fingers he made the puppet launch its right hand at his opponent like a bullet. It sailed through the air quickly and approached the blonde. As it neared its target, the hand began to morph itself to reveal several small blades that pointed in several directions.

The Namikaze only had a few seconds to dodge the attack and so he just dove back behind his wall again. He landed behind cover just in time to miss the hand explode, causing the small blades to fly out in almost every direction.

The puppeteer didn't waste any time and so when he saw the blonde dive back behind cover, he made his puppet shoot out several poison bombs around the wall.

Meanwhile, after Naruto landed back to safety, he heard small poison bombs land all around him while purple smoke began to fill the area. He understood right away that it was poison.

'_It appears that Kankurou has the advantage. If we were to fight in the woods I wouldn't have a problem but because we're in an open arena…'_ There was really no place for him to hide. He would have to find a way around the puppet and get to the puppeteer. It took him a second, but as always he thought of an idea.

From the upper balcony the audience watched in curiosity. Most people believed that Naruto would use the Rinnegan, but they were wrong. It seemed the blonde had different plans.

Kakashi knew of Naruto's disadvantage against fighting a puppet in a bare arena, but he didn't acknowledge it because Naruto, when and if he decided to, could always activate his prized eyes.

It wasn't until he saw the poisoned smoke almost consume Naruto that he felt a little concerned for his student. Luckily though Naruto jumped out of the smoke and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"There you are. I was hoping I got you with the poison mist." Kankurou laughed before adjusting his puppet to Naruto's new position. "Alright let's get this over with." The puppet gave off a creepy clattering noise as it stood between them, levitating a bit off the ground.

"Yea I suppose you're right." Naruto replied seriously as he took a quick charge.

The Sand nin was ready and acted accordingly. He made his puppet release more poison mist from its empty socket where its right arm used to be, but the blonde leapt over it. The puppet then tried launching several more poisoned tipped senbon, but Naruto was too quick and avoided them.

The blonde landed only a few feet past the puppet and charged right for Kankurou with kunai in hand, but the puppet stretched its arms out and grabbed hold of the blonde. The puppet, with snake-like speed, slithered its arms around him and constricted him.

"What the-" Naruto was caught off guard. He didn't know the puppet could stretch its arms out.

"Gotcha you little midget. Guess I win," He laughed because he knew that there was no way he could escape now that his puppet had him wrapped up completely. "Give up?"

"Nope," Naruto glared at his opponent. "Not just yet."

"If you don't give up then I'll break every bone in your body."

It was during their conversation that four kunai, each with an exploding note attached to the end, hit the back of Kankurou's puppet.

"Gotcha!" The four exploding notes, along with Naruto, self destructed, causing the puppet to be destroyed by the fiery explosion. The force from it was strong enough to knock Kankurou off his feet. He watched from the ground as his puppet was turned into mere splinters as small pieces of debris were sent flying everywhere. The only thing that was saved was the head of the puppet, which was now lying at a few dozen yards away from him.

"What…what happened?" He asked out of confusion.

"You're now defenseless without your puppet," Naruto said out from the still present smoke, "Give up?"

He stepped out from the smoke and approached the sand nin who was still lying on the ground.

"How?"

"I was still hiding in the poison mist. You were so distracted by my clone that you didn't notice that your poison faded rather quickly. I was safely waiting till my clone was caught by your puppet."

The blonde looked over to the judge to see if he would call him winner, but soon an eerie feeling came over him. Instinctively he activated his Rinnegan and saw chakra strings still attached to Kankurou's right index finger.

He spun his head around quickly and spotted the head of the puppet racing towards him with a small blade protruding from its mouth. It was only a few feet from him and approaching quickly.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)" He sent the puppet head, as well as Kankurou flying back. He was stunned but still he turned his head to look at the Sand Nin.

Kankurou landed rather hard in the distance, which knocked the wind out of him.

"Winner: Namikaze Naruto." The judge finally called when he noticed that the sand ninja was no longer moving.

Naruto stood frozen where he was while staring at the puppet head that lay on the ground off in the distance. _'That was close. Had I not been able to see the chakra strings I would have died. Thank goodness they require chakra strings to move…'_ That was when a brilliant idea clicked in his head. _'I need to find Jiraiya immediately!'_

"I'm surprised you won Naruto." Sasuke yelled out from the stands, "I thought I was going to have to come down and help you out."

"It would have been much easier had I used my Rinnegan from the get go, but then again I don't like spamming my eye techniques."

That comment infuriated the Uchiha because it was a direct reference to his own fight earlier when he used his Sharingan right off the start. He clenched the bars tightly, hoping to squeeze out all his anger, but it was no use.

The blonde turned his head to see the Medic Nin cart Kankurou off the arena. He then turned to see Temari looking worried in the balcony above. Her worried expression turned to anger when she glanced over towards him.

'_I guess I'll go back over to my side of the upper balcony.'_ He walked slowly with his idea still dancing around his head.

'_I didn't mean to hurt him that badly.' _He didn't know much about life, but he knew that any chance of speaking with Temari was probably low. Still, he was hoping to find her afterwards so that he could apologize for what he did to Kankurou.

The sounds of murmurs and whispers from the others in the balcony made him realize that they were able to see his Rinnegan.

"Ah Naruto, long time no see." Kakashi remarked when the blonde finished ascending the steps. "I was wondering when you would get back."

"Yea Naruto, what were you doing over there?" Sakura asked, "They are our opponents."

"So are the other leaf genin teams. Besides, I was trying to make friends."

"Hm. Naruto, I need to discuss something with you."

"What is it Sensei?"

"Well it's-" he cut himself off when he looked up at the board to see the next two opponents. "This can wait. It seems you're up Sakura."

_Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino_

The pink haired Kunoichi was nervous. It wasn't only because she was facing her rival but because both her teammates won their match as well. She would have to try hard to win and impress her deepest love.

'_I wonder,'_ she thought to herself as she descended the stairs, _'how far I've grown.'_ She smiled confidently.

"Wipe that smile off your face billboard brow." Ino said as she walked past her opponent on the stairs.

"I guess now we'll see who the stronger one is, Ino-pig!" Sakura replied back.

"We don't have to guess, we already know." Ino reached the arena floor and turned to face Sakura.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke both pretended the other didn't exist while the watched the fight, standing side by side. It was completely silent between the two, until Sasuke's curiosity got the better of him.

"Why didn't you use your Rinnegan right off the bat?" He asked whispered, "You could have won so easily."

"We'll discuss this after all this is over with." Naruto turned to him, "I want to see if Sakura wins or not."

Sasuke nodded in understanding and focused on the fight at hand.

During their silent conversation, Sakura was fighting her eternal rival.

The fight was interesting only because the fighters shared such history together. They had known each other almost their entire lives and they've lived it competing against each other.

Naruto wondered briefly what it would have been like to have had an eternal rival, someone that would challenge him and make him press harder than he ever had. He shrugged.

The fighters seemed like they were on equal ground, but everyone could tell that Sakura had the upper advantage because she knew Medical Ninjutsu. However, it took chakra to heal her wounds and she didn't have much chakra. She had to choose between Stamina and Health or Chakra.

Naruto continued to watch as seconds turned to minutes as they battled it out – mostly using taijutsu.

Sakura was now running low on chakra as she breathed rather hard. She knew by looking into her opponent's eyes that Ino felt the same. _'I still have one last trick up my sleeve.'_ She devised a plan and leapt into action.

Her teammates up on the stands watched curiously as she placed Ino into a genjutsu that would put the victim into sleep if they didn't notice it.

"When did she learn that?" Sasuke asked out loud.

"Just before the Chuunin exam she asked me what she should learn. I told Sakura her strengths and what she would be good at. She must have learned it on her own." Kakashi answered from behind him.

"Winner: Haruno Sakura." The judge called as Ino fell onto the floor.

Sakura could barely stand as she turned to face her team up on the upper balcony. She smiled because they were lookingg at her. _'I made it! I beat Ino-pig!'_ She allowed herself to fall down onto her back. Her head tilted to the side to allow herself to look out the glass windows. To her, the sun seemed brighter than it had ever been. _'I made it,' _She thought tiredly, _'I'm on my way…to become strong.'_

"Good job Sakura." Kakashi said nonchalantly as he appeared next to her. "Do you need medical attention? Or do you just need some help getting back up the stairs?" He said with a hint of a smile.

"I'm fine Kakashi-sensei, I can make it on my own." She took a few long, deep breaths before slowly getting back up.

Eventually she made it back up the stairs, with Kakashi in tow incase she fell back down, and joined her team.

"Kakashi!" Gai appeared next to him, "It seems like you are the only one to have all your students pass. They must have inherited your flame of youth!"

"Hm…did you say something Gai?"

'_You are always so cool, Kakashi!'_

"Good job Sakura. Looks like we all made it." Naruto said as she approached them.

"Yeah," She said tiredly, "Yeah we did."

_Kinuta Dosu vs. Akimichi Chouji_

Chouji hurried down the stairs with excitement after hearing his sensei promise food for a victory.

Kinuta had jumped over the railings as he waited for the Leaf nin to reach him.

Naruto had a suspicion who would win, but he kept it to himself. He didn't want the others to know his money was on the one who could control Sound.

Sure enough, after some provoking on Dosu's part and a little strategy, Chouji lost. All the while Naruto had his doujutsu active so that he could pick apart Dosu's technique.

"Winner: Kinuta Dosu."

Kinuta didn't take long to leave the arena and head for the stairs that lead to the upper balcony.

_Tsurugi Misumi vs. Gaara_

This was by far the fastest match of the day. In fact it wasn't even a match since Tsurugi Misumi, Kabuto's other teammate, dropped out of the fight before Gaara was even able to move towards the arena.

Strangely though, no one seemed to call him a coward. In fact, few applauded his decision, especially the remaining members of Team 8.

/Break/

It only took a few more minutes after the preliminaries were over for the winners to stand shoulder to shoulder, facing the Hokage, as the losers were told to leave. When they were gone, those that had won were asked to draw a number.

Naruto – 9

Sasuke – 3

Sakura – 7

Lee – 1

Gaara – 4

Temari – 6

Shino – 8

Neji – 2

Shikamaru – 5

Dosu – 10

Once they had drawn their numbers, the proctor asked for them while Ibiki, the proctor from the first exam, wrote them down on the clipboard he was holding.

"Alight, this is the order that the fights will be in," He said before turning his clipboard around to show them.

1. Rock Lee vs. Neji

2. Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara

3. Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari

4. Haruno Sakura vs. Aburame Shino

5. Namikaze Naruto vs. Dosu

"You have a month till the finals start."

/Break/

It was only half an hour before Team 7 was alone in a separate room. They were discussing what the plans were for the next month.

"So you plan on teaching Sasuke?" Naruto asked rather surprisingly.

"Yes," Kakashi said but quickly added, "I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm the only one capable of teaching him to use the Sharingan." He justified. He didn't know that Naruto didn't really want Kakashi to train him, he was more or less curious as to what Kakashi planed on doing for a month.

"What about me sensei?" Sakura asked hopefully - visions of her training with Sasuke playing on repeat in her head.

"I'm afraid not Sakura. I'm not suited to teach you in Medical Ninjutsu."

Sakura lowered her head. She felt an unexpected wave of disappointment wash over her.

"Why don't you have Kabuto teach you Sakura," Naruto offered, "I'm sure he would love to take you under his wing."

Sakura thought about it for a few seconds, "Yea! I think I'll do that."

"So what are you going to do Naruto?" Sasuke asked him.

All of team 7 looked at him, waiting for a response. "I think I'll go back to Root for a while." He said casually as he turned around to leave. "I'll see you guys in month." He didn't look back as he raised his hand in the air as a gesture of goodbye.

"Wait Naruto, you didn't answer my question." Sasuke called out after him.

The blonde had to think for a second, but then remembered what Sasuke had asked him earlier, "It's because I only see my eyes as a tool, nothing more. It would be a weakness if I relied on them too much." The blonde said without even turning around.

Sasuke scoffed while glaring at him in silence.

Naruto had someone to find now that the prelims were over.

/Break/

Naruto knew that there was only one place in the world his wandering sensei could be now that Kakashi was watching over Sasuke.

He didn't travel far when he reached one of several bath houses in Konoha. The blonde knew Jiraiya would be at this particular one because it was his favorite out of all the others. Naruto knew it was his favorite because he remembered him telling a story about, how when he was about Naruto's age, he found an easy-to-access peeping spot.

It only took a few minutes for him to hear childish giggling coming from the trees that overlooked the fence that surrounded the women's section of the outdoor bathhouse.

He looked up and spotted him with ease. He gave an honest grin while he scanned the ground for a rock. When he found one of a suitable size, he held it firmly in his right hand while raising it up towards his sensei.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)" The rock sped off like a bullet towards the pervert sitting in the tree.

To the Sanin's credit, he was still able to dodge it expertly without taking his eyes off the girls on the other side of the fence.

"Nice try Naruto," He grinned.

After a few seconds more of peeping on the girls, he turned his attention to the boy waiting patiently below. "What do you want?" He asked, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I need your help with something." He said

"You want me to train you for the final exam?" Jiraiya guessed, "Cause honestly Naruto I don't believe you need training. I already think you are strong enough. At least stronger than your opponents. You should have no problem winning."

Naruto tilted his head a little as he digested Jiraiya's compliment. "You know it was never about being stronger than others. Now are you going to help me or not?"

Jiraiya hopped down from his peeping spot and landed on the ground gracefully. "What do you need help with?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Do you know anything about puppets?"

The toad sage looked at him strangely before shaking his head, "I'm sorry Naruto but that was never one of my strengths. Why would you want to learn about puppetry?"

"Oh I just had an idea, that's all." The blonde was too determined to lose his idea so he figured that he would ask someone from Root if they knew. So he turned to leave.

"Now wait a minute," Jiraiya quickly placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and spun him around, "I may not know about puppets, but I am a master at summoning and Sealing. I could help you with that if you wish."

"Hm, I don't know. Every time I seem to summon something it seems to have something wrong with it."

"Are you referring to the two summons against Orochimaru?" He asked.

"Yea," He confessed, "I don't really know what I'm doing with the whole 'summoning' thing so I just wing it."

"Well I could help you with that if you wish. After all you do have a month to train don't you? Besides, I have a theory of what might be behind it."

Naruto thought about it for a only a second before agreeing. _'It would be to my advantage to learn how to summon properly.'_ He thought.

"Alright sounds good. When do we start?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Tomorrow at noon. Be at our normal training spot." He said before jumping back up into the tree, "Now leave me alone!"

Naruto watched him for a few seconds before turning to leave. His next destination was home.

After a few more minutes of traveling the rooftops, he arrived at his apartment complex. All he needed to do now was find Danzou, or have Danzou find him.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," the war-hawk greeted from behind as if on cue, "I was wondering where you went off to."

"Sorry, Danzou-sensei," He turned and bowed out of habit, "but I had to ask Jiraiya something."

The old man nodded, "Ah I see. What did you need Jiraiya for? Training perhaps?"

"Yea, but he couldn't help me. I have an idea for a jutsu but I need someone who knew about puppetry."

"Puppetry? Naruto your fighting style doesn't incorporate Puppets." Danzou stated honestly.

"I'm not going to use puppetry, but I need a puppet to study." He lied.

"Hm, I guess I could have a few, unused puppets brought to your room later on." Danzou said as he rambled on to himself, "I also hear that you have a month to train."

"Hai, and I was wondering if you could train me. I need to work on mastering the elements besides just using elemental jutsu."

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun but I am very busy this month. I have a lot of planning to do."

"Then how about some scrolls?" He asked.

"Hm…I suppose I can grant you access to Root's collection." He mused to himself. "For now I need to go. I will be back in a few weeks to check up on your progress." He then walked off.

Naruto watched him leave as he digested the news. _'I wonder what's wrong with Danzou. He never willingly gives me help unless he has complete control over what's happening.'_ He shrugged before leaving. He blamed it on the chuunin exams.

/Break/

"How are you doing Kankurou?" Temari asked as she and Gaara entered into the hospital room.

"Besides being humiliated, I'm good." He said while looking up at the ceiling.

"Well at least you aren't hurt too badly."

"Yea," he turned towards her, "I don't know what happened, but I hit the floor hard. Did you see how that Naruto kid did that?"

"No," Temari honestly, "It happened too quickly for anyone to really follow."

"He can push and pull objects." Gaara spoke out. "His eyes grant him the power to control things around him with him as the center." A dark aura began surfacing around him.

"Really?" Temari was shocked. "How do you know?"

"If you can't figure it out then you don't deserve to know." Gaara started heading towards the door so he could leave the room. He never really cared about Kankurou or his condition. All he knew was that Naruto was strong enough to defeat Kankurou.

The Jinchuuriki thought back to both times he watched Naruto use his eyes._ 'He pulled the kid from Kankurou's grasp the first time I watched him. Now he can push things away from him. Interesting…'_ That was his last thought before leaving the room.

"Well I guess you need to find out for us Temari." Kankurou said with a bit of smile. He was hoping to lighten the mood of the room.

"Why me?" She was naturally apprehensive of any plan that Kankurou hatched that involved her.

"Because it's obvious he likes you Temari." The sand nin said with a grin, "He came over to congratulate you on your victory and he kept trying to talk to you."

"You think?" She asked, "I thought he was trying to be nice."

"Nope," Kankurou reassured his position, "So just go hang out with him and do some reconnaissance or something."

"And what are you going to do in the meantime?" She asked out of curiosity.

"I'm going to rebuild my damn puppet!"

/Break/

Naruto lay quietly on his bed as he looked up at his ceiling. His thoughts were not on training or the chuunin exam, but his idea for a puppet. He was always looking for ways to better a jutsu, and now he believed he found a solution.

Normally, when summing a shadow clone, they poof away after being hit. Now, if he could summon puppets that moved on their own, they would be like shadow clones, but much more durable. In fact, they would be unbeatable because they wouldn't be hindered by a puppeteer.

Eventually though he felt he needed some sleep. It didn't take him long to dress into his pajamas and fall asleep.

Dreams of an angry fox haunted him.

The next morning he found a note that had been slipped under his door. It gave instructions on were he could pick up a few extra puppets that he could work on. He silently thanked Danzou and his connections.

He got ready for the day and headed on out. He figured he had a while before he needed to meet up with Jiraiya so his first stop would be Root headquarters were they kept their own scrolls on techniques.

He didn't know exactly where they were but he would find them.

Naruto arrived at the entrance to a massive tree with a hidden entrance. He didn't know how to get in, but he figured that eventually someone would come and help him.

Within a few minutes he was approached by a Root member who was walking towards him. He had been instructed to help the Jinchuuriki if need be.

"Greetings, Naruto-kun." He said as he approached him.

"Good morning," He replied enthusiastically, "I was wondering if you could help me."

"Sure, anything."

It didn't take long after that to enter the Root entrance and for him to finally reach the underground library. Of course he was watched the entire time.

Soon he was shifting through scroll after scroll of techniques. He had a small bag-full of scrolls before he was ready to leave.

When he had what he needed, he left for his apartment to stash them real quick and then he was off to the training grounds.

/Break/

After hours of trying to wear himself out, his alarm clock went off that he had placed on a small rock. It signaled the end of his personal training session and the beginning of training with Jiraiya.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and left to go find his teacher. If anything, he would be near the river where the girls liked to swim, only he would be in the bushes.

He gathered his belongings and headed for the river. Yep, just as he expected, the old perverted sage was writing another one of his novels while researching for inspiration. He was truly a dirty old man.

"JIRAIYA-SENSEI! QUIT PEEPING ON GIRLS!" He yelled rather loudly.

The Sannin turned around in horror to look at the blonde as the girls he had been watching all left.

"NOOOOO! Ladies come back!" He stood up and tried reaching out for them as they ran off.

"Why did you do that?" He asked disappointedly at his student.

"Because I thought this would be a nice place to train. I didn't want those poor girls to be accidently harmed. I HAD to scare them off, for their own protection."

The toad Sennin didn't buy it but nonetheless he walked over to him. "All right, I guess I'll train you today. We're going to work on summoning, right?"

"Yea," He said while putting his belongings on the ground, "You said you had a theory behind it."

For the first time since before the girls were scared off, Jiraiya smiled, "Yes I do. But first, let's go over what we know about your summoning. Can you summon without activating your Rinnegan?"

Naruto thought to himself for a moment before slapping his hands together. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summing Technique)"

Nothing happened.

"Nope." He answered, "I guess my powers are tied into the Rinnegan.

"As I thought. Interesting though."

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, I am trying to recall that day I pushed you into the canyon, hoping that you'd gather the necessary chakra to summon Gamabunta and save yourself. Do you remember that day?" He asked out of curiosity.

"How can I forget? You tried to kill me." Naruto replied flatly, "But what does that have to do with summoning?"

"Do you remember the bird you summoned? That wasn't aggressive. As I recall, it flew you to the top safely."

"That's right!" He remembered summoning it after rejecting the Kyuubi.

"Yep, and I believe it has to do with what's on your mind. If you are aggressive and summon something, then it will be aggressive too. Like when you were fighting Orochimaru, you were probably very tired and angry at that moment."

"So you're saying it's tied to my emotions?"

"Possibly. It might even be tied to your thoughts as well. I guess there is only one way to find out."

Naruto took the hint and thought up a scenario in his head. "Alright, I'm going to go ahead and think of a plan to attack you." He paused for a second, "I will summon a frog, which I want to immediately cover you in oil."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea Nar-"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summing Technique)!" A cloud of smoke appeared between both of them. Before anyone could react, the frog jumped high into the air and let loose a jet stream of oil.

Luckily the old toad sage was quick on his feet and he dodged it effortlessly. Afterwards he dispelled the frog entirely.

"Yea I guess you were right, sensei."

"Yea I guess so, but something is still bothering me."

"What is it?"

"Toads know who is on their summoning list. For him to attack me like that goes against what they believe. If two people battle each other and both can summon toads, they'll stay out of it." At least that was what he learned from all those practice spars against Minato all those years ago.

Naruto thought for a second, "So I guess I momentarily have control over them?"

"Hm, I think it's only when they are first summoned."

Naruto nodded and figured he would try something else. Maybe summon a snake and see how long they would be under his control.

It was a long day, but eventually he and Jiraiya were able to figure it out.

/Break/

The walk home for Naruto was strange. He noticed someone had been following him for the longest time, but because they were so bad at keeping hidden, he wondered to himself if he should confront them. _'Do they want me to notice and face them? Or what?'_

A few minutes later he became tired of the shinobi that was tailing him and so he turned around and called him out. "Look I know you're following me. I've known for a while, so come on out."

A small, familiar boy crept out behind a dumpster that Naruto had recently passed. "So you are as good as they say!"

"Have I seen you before?" Naruto asked curiously, "Because you look familiar."

"You don't remember? You saved me from that Sand-nin!" He yelled in excitement.

"Konohamaru?"

"Yep that's me." He approached the blonde.

"Well why are you following me?" He questioned the small boy. He didn't like being followed.

"Because I want you to train me! Teach me that technique you used to save me." He said in almost a commanding way.

"No," Naruto turned around, "I don't have time for that."

"PLEASE!" He dove forward and wrapped his arms around Naruto's leg, "As the grandson of the third Hokage I demand that you do!"

The blonde sighed and looked down at the kid, "Why me? Why not have someone else train you."

"Because you're strong! I need to be strong if I want to become Hokage."

Naruto was taken back a bit by the boy's goal. _'Didn't I used to want to be Hokage? Why was that so appealing to me?'_

He scratched the back of his head, "Why do you even want to become Hokage. You know you can still protect the village by being strong."

"It's not about that!" Konohamaru let go of Naruto's leg and stood back up, "I want people to start seeing me for me, you know?" He then looked down at his feet, "For my entire life they've called me 'The honorable grandson of the Third Hokage', but they never really see ME. Maybe being Hokage can change all that."

The blonde looked down at him and saw a little of his old self. He could recall wanting to be noticed, to be part of the crowd. That part of him had died a long time ago. Slowly though he could tell his old personality was coming back because of his forced interactions with other people.

"Unfortunately I can't teach you those jutsus because they are part of my Kekkei Genkai, but maybe I could teach you other things."

"Y-You really mean that!? You'll train me!" His attitude had taken a complete turn.

"Yea, but after the chuunin exam. For now though you have to leave me alone."

"Alright sensei, I'll see you after the exams!" He turned around to run off. He only had taken four steps before tripping over his scarf.

Naruto placed his hands in his pockets and resumed his walk home. First though he would make a pit stop and pick up two very important things – his puppets.

He knew where they were waiting for him, all he had to do now was bring them home and study them.

/Break/

It was late in the evening when Naruto arrived back to his apartment with two puppets in his possession. He laid them out on his living room floor before retrieving the scrolls on how they worked from his bag and placing them on the table.

He unrolled them to view their contents while glancing over at his puppets.

"Hm, this might be harder than I thought." He said aloud to himself as he read the first few paragraphs to the scroll. Naruto didn't know what most of it meant.

His goal for his new jutsu was to make the puppets move on their own without him controlling them. The only thing he had to compare them to were his clones. He wanted to mix the two jutsus. Then they would be the perfect bodies.

He spent the next few hours going over what he needed to on the scrolls and set up a basic plan on how he would accomplish them. First though, he would need to speak with Jiraiya. He had a feeling the master of sealing techniques would be able to help him out.

/Break/

Temari spent the whole morning traveling around Konoha in frustration. She knew she had only that day to find Naruto and hang out with him before her team was scheduled to leave for their village, so that she could train in privacy before the final exam in a month's time.

From talking with a few people she found out one thing, and that was that no one really knew anything about Naruto. It was as if he hid from everyone in his own village. Not one person knew where he even lived. Luckily, she overheard someone say that Naruto liked to eat Ramen for breakfast.

So that was where she currently sat, waiting for her target. The sand-nin was hungry so she ordered pork while she was there. She wasn't there too long before a familiar set of ruffled, blonde hair entered Ichiraku's ramen stand.

Naruto took a few steps in before he noticed her sitting there as Teuchi gave her the ramen she had ordered only moments ago.

"Ah hello Naruto!" Teuchi greeted as he turned his attention towards him. "What can I get you?"

"The usual I guess." He never took his eyes of Temari.

"Coming right up." He turned to make Naruto's meal.

"Temari, I didn't expect to see you here." He said as he sat a few seats down from her.

"Neither did I," She lied.

"I wanted to apologize to what I did to Kankurou. I didn't mean to hurt him like that." He said in a calmly manner. "I was just surprised, that's all."

"It's alright. He may not seem like it but he's tough. I'm sure he'll get over it." She casually turned to eat her meal.

"That's good." He said awkwardly as his food was placed in on the counter.

"Here you go Naruto. Enjoy." Teuchi gave him a smile. "Anything else?"

"No that'll be it. Thanks." Naruto said uneasily as he watched the man retreat to the back.

"Hey Naruto," Temari looked over at him, "I was thinking, since I'm going to be leaving tomorrow morning, I was hoping you would give me a tour of the village."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Uh, sure I guess. I'm not really familiar with the village myself but I'll try."

/Break/

Naruto traveled as fast as he could through the trees. He was hoping Jiraiya would still be there. _'Oh man I'm late. I hope he's still waiting for me.'_

He made it to the training field where he was supposed to have met up with the toad sage hours ago, but it was empty.

The blonde gave an annoying sigh before leaning back against a tree to catch his breath.

At first he felt a little upset for allowing himself to hang out with Temari all day, but then he realized how much fun he actually had. It was worth it.

It was really the first time he ever really hung out with someone most of the day. Sure he had his team, but they always split right after the missions.

So he stayed there with his back against the tree as he slid down to sit. After several moments of catching his breath and allowing his heart to slow, he was able to hear a faint noise in the distance. It sounded like someone was pounding against a tree.

_1120_

_1121_

Someone was also keeping count.

Naruto decided that, because he had missed his meeting with Jiraiya, he might as well go and see what it was.

He stood back up and stretched his back before heading off to go find the source of his curiosity.

A minute or so later he stumbled upon what he had been looking for. It was Lee punching a tree.

"Naruto?" Lee had sensed someone watching him and so he turned around, "I was not expecting you. Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh no," He replied back, "I heard someone training and wondered what it was."

"Sorry Naruto if I was distracting you." Lee said between breaths. It was obvious he was tired.

Naruto held his hand up, "Nah you weren't distracting me. I ran late to meet Jiraiya and now I'm not sure what to do." He crossed his arms.

"That is unfortunate Naruto. Too bad there isn't any way to contact or summon your sensei." Lee said casually as he straightened his back and placed his hands behind his head. "I know I wish I could sometimes."

'_Summon…wait, could that work?'_ Naruto thought for a moment before smiling. Lee just gave him an idea. "Well I guess I'll leave you to it. Sorry for bothering you."

"Wait Naruto!" Lee said as he took a few steps towards the blonde. "Will you fight me?"

Naruto considered him for a moment. "How about a few weeks from now?"

Lee nodded in appreciation. "Thank you Naruto. I am hoping to gauge my strength against you so that I can fight my rival."

"Neji?" He guessed.

"Yes. I have never beaten him Naruto. He is truly a genius, but I hope one day I can beat him."

Naruto was a little surprised. _'So this Neji guy is stronger than I thought.'_ He looked Lee dead in the eyes, "I'll find you in two weeks. Be ready." He walked away.

Lee looked back at the blonde's retreating form with fire in his eyes. _'I will be ready Naruto!'_ He turned to his training with more vigor than he ever had before. _'I will be ready!'_

Meanwhile, Naruto simply walked a short distance away from Lee where he was out of sight and sound. Then, with his Rinnegan active, he placed his hands together and thought of his sensei. Then he closed his eyes.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"

Nothing happened for the first few seconds as Naruto slowly opened his eyes in disappointment, but then a cloud of smoke appeared before him. It took him by surprise as he stared at the smoke in awe. _'Did it work?'_

After what seemed like an eternity, the smoke cleared and revealed a very confused Jiraiya.

"N-Naruto?" He asked in shock, "Did you just…"

The blonde was silent, but mentally he was screaming at his success. '_Such power…'_

"Answer me Naruto, did you summon me?" Jiraiya's tone took a turn for the worse.

"Yea, I think I did."

The toad sage stared at him with a slight hint of fear in his eyes. _'To think that this kind of power exists…what else are his eyes capable of?'_ He too became silent for the next few moments before finally telling the boy, "I don't want you to do that anymore."

"What?!" Naruto almost yelled, "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous." He sighed before turning away, "When you summoned me just now, I felt an unnatural tug on my being. I don't know what would have happened if I had resisted, but I answered your call out of curiosity."

"Did it hurt?" Naruto asked curiously, "Because I didn't mean to hurt you Jiraiya-sensei."

"Don't worry Naruto it didn't hurt, but I am not certain what would have happened if I had resisted your summon. Also, had I been a weaker individual, I probably would have ended up like one of those animal summons for a short period of time."

The blonde nodded in understanding. "I won't do it again – at least I won't summon people"

The toad sage smiled and looked down at his pupil, "That's good to hear. You need to wait until we've tested it out before summoning others. So where were you earlier?"

"Oh…I was uh…busy." He decided to keep how he spent that day to himself, "but I wanted to apologize for missing the training session."

"Don't worry Naruto. I was able to entertain myself anyway." His eyes drifted in the direction of a river that was not too far from where they were where girls liked to swim in. He gave a girlish giggle before turning back to his pupil, "Anyways, what did you need?"

"Well I have a few question about these." And with that he placed his hands back together, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)"

Two puppets appeared in front of him.

"I told you Naruto that I was no good with puppets."

"No, that's not it. I want to know if it was possible to bind souls to them." He asked.

"Souls? OH no don't you even think about it Naruto. The third, Kakashi and I told you that the soul remover and mind reading techniques were S-rank forbidden jutsu. They should only be sparingly until we learn more about them. That was what I promised to help you with after the chuunin exams."

"Yea I know, but I wasn't going to take another person's soul." He reassured his sensei, "I just needed to know something from you – do Shadow Clones have souls?"

/Break/

Kabuto approached the run-down, abandoned building cautiously, as the wind blew harshly over Konoha. He slid the door open as quietly as he could, making sure to be wary of any traps that his master might have set.

The medic nin turned to close the door behind him before turning back around to traverse the hallway that was on his right. He followed the corridor for a half a minute before he ran into the door at the very end.

Again he checked for traps his master might have set before opening the door. Beyond its entrance was a small staircase. He followed it up to the very top where the next door stood before him.

He quickly checked for traps with a quick glance before opening the last door between him and the meeting point. It was a rooftop that overlooked the Uchiha compound from a distance. This was where the Anbu used to hide out to watch them just shortly before the massacre Itachi commited.

"You're late." Orochimaru said casually as he turned to face him.

"Sorry about that Orochimaru-sama, but my training session went on longer than I thought." He answered honestly.

"Hm, it seems that you've taken quite an interest in that girl." He noted, "What makes her worth your time?"

"Haruno Sakura is surprisingly very adept at being a medic nin. She has already surpassed Tsunade-sama and me at that age." He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "A few more years of training and she could become a very powerful shinobi."

"It almost sounds like you care about her."

"It's not like that at all," He produced some ninja info cards from his pocket, "She is just a means to an end."

Orochimaru reached out to take them so he could read them. "Very good." He said as he looked at the newest information on Namikaze Naruto, "But our plans have changed. We will be adding him to our list of targets."

Kabuto didn't seem surprised at all, "I knew from the moment I saw him that you would want him too, but I thought we were only taking the Uchiha. After all, that was what you and Danzou agreed on."

"True," the snake nin crossed his arms, "in exchange for destroying the Leaf and getting my hands on Uchiha Sasuke, I have to teach him my Living Corpse Reincarnation and let Danzou resume control of the village."

"So he's also afraid of death then?" Kabuto grinned at his indirect insult towards his master.

Orochimaru looked at him with narrowed eyes, but quickly let go of his anger. He knew he wouldn't do anything to his number one subordinate. Besides, it was a lame insult anyway.

"No," Orochimaru answered back, "He wants to be Konoha's eternal Hokage."

"How will he rule as Hokage if he is willing to let you destroy it?" Kabuto asked out of curiosity.

"If I agree to his terms then he will keep Root from assisting Konoha. They would then rise from the ashes of its destruction and start anew." He said as he leaned against the railings that went around the edge of the rooftop. "And he'll need Naruto's power to pull it off.

"So why then add Naruto on your list. It sounds as if Danzou could be a powerful ally."

"Because the Rinnegan is more powerful. I cannot allow Danzou to have it." He said with complete seriousness.

"So you plan on burying the leaf and taking their two most powerful Genin. Why not go after the Byakugan why you're at it? That way you could have all three eye techniques."

Orochimaru actually thought about it for a second, "If I could find a way to combine all three…" He drifted into his own daydream as he and Kabuto watched a certain genin train in the distance.

/Break/

Sasuke breathed heavily as he plopped himself on the ground. Sweat poured down his face as he took a hard look around the training field.

It was because of the moon's generous light that allowed him to see four craters on the massive boulder in front of him.

He took a sip of water from his bottle that he brought with him and decided to call it quits for the night. _'Four…that's my limit.'_ He felt the curse mark receding from his body. _'It allows me to pull of one more. It truly was a gift.'_

It was only a few days ago that he discovered the benefits of the curse mark. He would be using it, but only when he was alone. He knew that if he used it during his training with Kakashi, then he would have Jiraiya seal it up permanently.

'_I wonder what other power this gives me…'_ He looked at his hands the he held in front of his face. He clenched them briefly to see if they hurt. They did.

Words from Kakashi came flooding back to him. They consisted of warnings about its use, but now he no longer cared_. 'Who cares if I wither away and die, as long get enough power to kill Itachi then it doesn't matter.'_ First though he needed the Mangekyou. First he needed to defeat Naruto.

He staggered a bit when he stood up, but quickly gained his composure. Placing his hand on the tree next to him he was able to find his balance.

He took a few steps before realizing just how tired he actually was. He walked slowly.

Sasuke felt a familiar set of eyes on him, but he couldn't tell from where. Shrugging it off to paranoia, he instead thought of Naruto.

It was weird for him that his thoughts were becoming less and less about killing Itachi, and more about killing Naruto. _'I feel power flowing through me, but is it enough? Is it enough to reach them?'_

He would find out soon enough when he fought in the finals. Thankfully though, Kakashi taught him an assassination technique. Maybe killing Naruto upfront was impossible, but assassinating him was another story.

/Break/

It had been three weeks since the end of the second exam and already Naruto felt like he had accomplished more than he had set out to do.

The first thing he was happy about was his new technique. Sure it was slightly off from what he had originally started off with, but he was still happy nonetheless with how it turned out. He was sure it would make a huge impression on the exam, especially since he would be fighting someone from sound first. _'Let's see how sound waves affect my new puppets.'_

The other thing was his progress with seals. With Jiraiya leaving him homework, he was able to take the lessons home and work on them at his leisure, but he still needed the Toad Sage's help when it came to the more complex theories behind them.

Because of his progress with seals, he was beginning to understand what his father had in mind when he sealed the Fox within him. He was able to understand the idea and practice put into it, but he was still a few years off from actually being able to copy what his father was able to do. At least now he knew what his father meant for him to do with the Fox. To use it.

The last was with his summoning Jutsu. After experimenting with Jiraiya he was able to fully understand how his summoning worked. When he summoned something, it would force whatever he wanted to appear with its mind synced with his, but only for a few moments. However, the stronger the animal, the less amount of time the animal was under control. He learned quickly that some animals could not be manipulated.

Also, people could be summoned, but they were superior to animals and could reject the summoning if they wished, but it takes an amazing amount of willpower to do so.

Another accomplishment was fighting with Lee. Because of that encounter, he learned more about the Hyuuga and their sad story. Although Naruto felt bad for Neji, he still didn't excuse him for treating Hinata like he did. She was still family and as such should have been treated better.

Luckily though he was able to face Lee and gained an appreciation for speed. Naruto still won the fight, but his respect for Lee went up dramatically. It was because of his new found respect for him that he gave him a few words of advice for his round with Neji.

Then there was Temari. She would be back in a few days time for the Final Exam. He planned on hanging out with her for a while before it began.

'_I never was able to train on mastering the elements…I guess I can do that after I become a chuunin.'_ Naruto thought lousily to himself. He felt that he should have incorporated a little bit of it in his schedule, except he had been so busy lately.

"There you are Naruto," Jiraiya walked up to his student who was lying down on the training field. He was looking up at the clouds.

"Jiraiya-sensei, where have you been? You've been gone for a week." Naruto sat up to look at his master.

"Sorry about that kiddo but I had to check up on a few things." He grinned, "Did you miss me?"

Naruto thought for a moment, "Hm not really. It gave me time to talk with Hokage-sama."

Jiraiya paled a little, _'He didn't even miss me?'_ he quickly got over it and looked at his student, "I need to ask you a favor Naruto." The old toad sage took off his scroll on his back and set it up against a tree.

The blonde remained silent as to hear his sensei's request.

"I was wondering if you could fight me real quick." He asked. "Could you create five clones for me?"

Naruto was a bit surprised but complied anyways. "Sure," he said. "Besides, I've always wanted to fight you anyways." He grinned as five clones poofed into existence.

"Alright Naruto, but there are a few rules. First, each clone can only do one technique, and each technique must be from your Rinnegan."

"What?" he asked, "Why?"

"Just do it. This is a part of your training!" He lied. _'The leader of Akatsuki, this Pein I've heard so much about, fights with six bodies. Six different paths. I remember Naruto's story against fighting him as well as my own encounter shortly after that. If my theory is correct then I should know how to win against him.'_

Naruto turned to his clones as they began to sort out the details.

"Sensei, I only have four techniques: Gravity manipulation, Soul retrieving and mind reading, absorption, and summoning." He said while counting off with his hand.

Jiraiya frowned, _'Then that means that he hasn't discovered two of them yet. This could be trouble.'_ He looked at his student, "Then the last two can do whatever they feel like."

All the Naruto's smiled as the original turned to face them. "The fifth one will practice with my new puppets," he then faced his sensei, "and as for me, well I'll just have to go wild." The original said as his clones naturally slid into their fighting stance.

"Alright Naruto, let's see what you've got."

**A/N**: This is where I'll stop. I only have a few chapters left till I get to a time gap. Then ten or so after that till I'm done. A part 1 and a part 2 if you will. 10 and 10.

As for the chapter, Naruto had had all the paths except the seventh path and the Hell realm. He won' be getting the seventh path for a while…a long while, but the Hell realm he'll be getting soon. In the chapter Naruto mentioned only having four paths. He doesn't know that the puppets he created are a path - at least not yet. A representation of my Asura Realm.

The next chapter will be the final exam as well as the partial "hunt for Tsunade". After that my story takes a creative turn. Hopefully it will be a good one. As for the Temari/Naruto bit, I find it almost impossible before a time gap. That is where they will truly shine, because Temari is the type of girl who doesn't fall for a guy off the bat. At least in my opinion anyways.

Another thing is that I have three ways the next chapter could go when Naruto handles Gaara. When/if you leave a review just say either epic, brutal, or classy. Now when I say brutal, I mean the way he handled the snakes in the previous chapter. When I say epic, I mean truly epic with something no one has ever seen before. When I say classy, I mean with finesse and ninja skill. I have different fighting scenes in my head and it doesn't matter which way he goes about it.

It could go either way since they all three end the same although I prefer epic myself. I would love to write that scene. It's just that character development it could go in any which way.

Also I will list Naruto's abilities on what he has learned as of now.

1. Fuuton: Reppushou (Wind Style: Gale Wind Palm)

2. Push/Pull with Gravity

3. Chakra Absorption.

4. Summoning

5. Mind Reading and Soul Removal

6. Various basic ninjutsu (clones, replacement, henge)

7. Renkuudan (Drilling Air Projectile)

8. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) Side note on this one: He doesn't know about the Kage Bunshin training method yet. I figured it would make him too strong off the bat. He'll learn it later.

9. Raiton Kage Buunshin Bakuha (Lightning Style Shadow Clone explosion)

10. Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Style: Bullet)

11. Various other elemental Jutsu that I don't care to list.

12. And finally he can do the Asura Path. It will be fully revealed next chapter.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review. If you favorite this story then you have to review. It's one of my new laws.

Off topic: I'm looking for a fanfic. I've been searching relentlessly but can't seem to find it. It starts off with Sasuke almost killing Itachi but Naruto accidently gets in the way. Then later on, Kakashi decides Team 7 is ready to try the chuunin exams again and so they go to another country. I can't remember the name of the country or the village, but I remember that the second test was a massive genjutsu where all the teams had been placed under genjutsu without knowing it and the third was the arena type deal. It's been about four to six years since I've read it and it was the very first fanfic that I read all the way through. I don't know if it's still up but it was pretty well written so I figured it would still be up somewhere. If anyone knows what I'm talking about or can help me, please let me know. Thanks.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**A/N**: Hey I updated! Thanks for the reviews. Also I would like to thank those who took the time look for that fic I needed helping finding. Unfortunately no one could find it, but I guess that's life. Anyways there are a few things I need to discuss.

Firstly, no one knows if the Rinnegan is always active. In my story it's not.

Secondly, I'm going to treat the Rinnegan like the Sharingan in the matters of seeing through genjutsu. If Naruto is not strong enough to withstand it or notice it, then he will be stuck in it. Just a future warning when he encounters Itachi…

Thirdly, most of you will hate me at the end of this chapter. All I can do is ask that you wait a few more chapters till you make any judgments.

Chapter 9: The Chuunin Exam Part 3

Today was the day the Chuunin Exam Finals would take place. The weather was perfect and the buzz of excitement filled the air.

Not only was everything going well for the Leaf Village, but rumors of a Rinnegan user, as well as a Sharingan user, spread like wildfire. That in turn attracted many people willing to put money down on gambling. They had never seen such a turnout for the Chuunin exams before. The civilians who ran shops knew business would be booming. Life was good.

Shinobi all over the world arrived as well, which made it a small hassle for the Leaf village. With so many people there it was hard to keep track of them all. They couldn't blame them though because the contestants were worth seeing. Besides, there was an odd sense of calm and peace in the village. Everyone, surprisingly enough, seemed more relaxed than usual. It almost seemed like a festival rather than an exam.

Still, some of the shinobi were stuck with uneventful, but necessary posts, like the guards at the gates who had to file the people into the village. They couldn't believe their misfortune. They would be doing this all day long and miss out on the action at the arena.

"Alright," a Chuunin guard said as he held out his right hand, "We are going to ask you a few questions. It will just take a moment." He said with a tired, monotone voice. It was obvious he was bored to tears.

"First off," The other Chuunin guard that was next to him asked, "What is your name?" He had a clipboard in his hands, ready to write down the answer.

"I'M TOBI!" A man with an orange, spiral mask shouted as he flailed his arms about in excitement, "and this is my friend, Haku-san!"

The Chuunin guards sighed in frustration as their palms hit their foreheads. This was indeed going to be a long day.

/Break/

Naruto woke up earlier than he had planned. He knew it was probably due to the excitement that was running through his veins. Everyone was restless.

He rubbed his eyes and slowly got out of bed. Looking at his clock he saw that he still had about an hour before the sun would even rise_. 'What am I going to do in the meantime?'_ he wondered to himself as he slowly walked to his bathroom to take a shower.

It wasn't until after he had finished and dressed before he decided that he should just stay home and rest. So he walked into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. On the way there he spotted his puppets that were lying peacefully on the ground, ready to be summoned.

Inside his puppets were sealed shadow clones as well as some extra chakra. He found that, after sealing away his clones' minds into the puppets, they no longer had access to chakra. They needed chakra to move, so he sealed with them a large amount of his own for them to use. It seemed like a good jutsu but he discovered that when the chakra in the puppets ran out, so did their ability to fight – or move.

The one good thing about them was that they didn't need chakra to use jutsus because they weren't meant for that. He only planned on using them for close quarters when surprise was essential. He preferred them over other shinobi weapons like kunai and shuriken, because his puppets contained all sorts of weapons within their bodies.

He was fortunate to have a puppet user in Root that could teach him. He was also fortunate that no one but Jiraiya knew about his technique because he needed the old sage's help with the procedure. Root only knew that he was studying them. He told them he was curious of on how they worked so that he could battle them effectively, if the occasion were ever to rise.

He was hoping to surprise Danzou with it during the finals as well.

A frown flashed across his face for a second as he looked at them. He knew his puppet clones were probably not as sophisticated as Kankurou's. Eventually though they would be, but not yet. A month was too short of a time span to create what he wanted. It would probably take years before the images he had for them were complete.

When he reached the kitchen, he began making himself a small breakfast. _'I wonder what's wrong with Danzou-sensei?'_ He wondered to himself, _'He isn't acting very normal.'_

He had to admit that the man was far from normal, but still, he was acting stranger than usual. _'I wonder why he's been so busy lately. I guess it's because of the Chuunin exam.'_ He reasoned with himself. He had only seen the man a few times during his month off to practice his techniques.

'_I guess I'll see him afterwards. I really need to talk to him.'_ He still didn't know what he wanted to do after he became a Chuunin.

It was about this time that his breakfast was done. He quickly sat down and began eating it. His mind began to wonder while he ate, specifically to last week.

Naruto had fought against Jiraiya everyday using the same rules as the first time they fought.

The toad sage told him that it was so that he could practice fighting with his clones, but he knew better. He remembered his fight against Pein and how each body only did one technique at a time. _'Was he helping me train to fight against Pein?'_

He was sure he would be told in due time, but for now he would have to wait.

His next thoughts were on Temari. She had arrived back in Konoha three days ago and actually waited for him at the Ramen stand that morning. He was beginning to like her a lot. However, he told her that if they were to fight in the exam, he wouldn't go easy on her in the finals. He would win.

She laughed.

He lingered on that thought for far longer than he wanted to before he realized that there was still food waiting to be eaten.

Naruto quickly consumed the rest of his meal before cleaning up after himself. He looked up at the time and saw he still had several hours before he even needed to be ready. It was a pain.

The Namikaze only shrugged in defeat as he walked casually back to his bed to sleep a little more. On the way he ran across a full length mirror that was propped up against a wall in his living room.

Looking into it he could see that he still wore his usual clothing, except this time he had wrappings around his wrists and hands to help cover the injuries he received from fighting against Jiraiya. He didn't know why but the toad sage pushed him farther than he thought he would have.

To his credit though, he almost beat the old toad sage – almost. He would have won too had he been more experienced in fighting. In the end he lost by falling for Jiraiya's deceptions.

He still had much to learn.

/Break/

"So what are you planning on doing?" The old Hokage asked his perverted pupil while sitting comfortably in his chair. It was the night before the final Chuunin exam.

"I am headed to Rain country. There are a few things I need to check out. While I'm there maybe I can gather some information on Akatsuki." Jiraiya answered as he stood confidently in the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi looked at him with weary, but focused, eyes. "Are you planning on going after your students?"

"Yes." He crossed his arms. "I believe Nagato or this Pein character is the leader of Akatsuki."

"The leader of Akatsuki…hmm do you really think he could be leading them?"

"I hope not, but my gut is telling me that he is and that he's working with Uchiha Madara."

"Yes I remember the conversation we had with Kakashi after his team's first A-rank mission," The Third looked at him seriously, "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Who do you think you're talking to old man? I'm the one and only Gallant Jiraiya!"

"This is no time for heroics," the third did not want to see one of his cherished pupils dying because of curiosity.

"Hey old man," Jiraiya looked at him with a hardened expression, "Don't worry about me." The toad sage hated when people worried over him, "I'll be fine."

"No," Sarutobi looked back at him, "I don't think I can ever do that."

Jiraiya deflated some as he looked back at his teacher. He couldn't help but crack a smile.

"So what do you plan on doing when you run into them?" The third continued.

"I don't know really. I want to find out their purpose and what happened to Nagato. I want to know why Yahiko now has the Rinnegan."

"Yes that's true. That alone should be cause for caution. Do you still think he's in the Hidden Rain Village?"

"Judging from his headband I would assume he left. Still, maybe someone there might give me some clues about his current whereabouts."

"Maybe while you're there you can find out what's going on with Hidden Rain. They've closed off their borders now for a long time."

"True, but I have a feeling it's because of a power struggle."

"A power struggle?" The old man asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Hanzou the Salamander is the leader of Rain. I doubt someone like Nagato could beat him. That would explain the scratch though Pein's headband and the closed off borders."

The old man paused to think about Jiraiya's statement. At long last he decided to speak, "I suppose Naruto should not be allowed to leave the village until you can confirm Akatsuki's purpose as well."

The Sannin nodded, "That would be wise considering that they might be after the Bijuu inside him."

"Alright I'll make the necessary arrangments. In the mean time I want you to be careful," He said out of concern.

"Don't worry about me old man." Jiraiya smirked, "I know what I'm doing."

The old Hokage didn't buy Jiraiya's tough act, but nevertheless he let it go, "I just hope you know what you are doing."

"Of course I do!" Jiraiya smile stretched across his face as he reached into his pocket and produced an all too familiar kunai.

"Is that what I think it is?" The third stood up from his chair and leaned over his desk to get a better look.

"Yep, it's Minato's kunai from his infamous Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)" He twirled the small loop at the base of the handle around his index finger.

"How did you…" He asked in wonder as he reached out to take it from Jiraiya.

"When I first ran into Pein after saving Naruto, I knew that I needed more than what I had to beat him. So I immediately set out to follow in Minato's footprints by reading his notes and going back to study seals again."

"Very impressive," the third said as he sat back down with the kunai now in his hands, "but why wait so long to learn the technique?"

"Well I was originally going to let Naruto figure it out by having him follow in Minato's footsteps, but I figured that it couldn't hurt to speed things up a bit."

The third was now more confident than ever in Jiraiya's abilities and he was complacent with the task he had given himself. "When do you plan on leaving?" he asked.

"Fairly soon."

"Are you staying to watch Naruto at least?" The old man inquired.

"In the Chuunin exams?" He asked, "Nah, I figured he'll do fine."

"He expects you to be there," Sarutobi said calmly, "You know as well as I do that he's slowly coming back around. Don't make another huge mistake. This Akatsuki stuff can wait a few days."

The toad sage gave a deep sigh and looked at his sensei, "the kid will do fine. With or without me I think he'll win the exam."

"You know he doesn't care about winning or losing. Besides, I think he just wants you to be there when he gets promoted to Chuunin."

"Maybe you're right but I think the kid knows that I won't be there." He confessed.

"Why is that?" The Sarutobi asked.

The toad sage looked down at the floor and took a deep breath, "I told him I might not be."

"Why would you tell him something like that?" The old man was worried that Jiraiya was making stupid mistakes again. He swore that Jiraiya was not capable of making one good choice from any situation.

"Because I told him there were a few things I needed to look into during the exam."

"Like what?"

"There is something I need to tell you about ROOT"

"What is it?" He asked, "What are you keeping from me?"

/Break/

It was early morning of the Chuunin exams when Danzou stood before his own personal army, ROOT. He had gathered all of them – well almost all of them.

"Where are Torune and Fuu?" He asked the man that was kneeled down to his right.

"They are finishing up the preparations for the invasion lord Danzou." He said confidently as he looked down at the ground.

"Good," Danzou nodded towards the man before he turned to his other members. "I can sense that some of you do not agree with my methods, but I assure you this is the best for Konoha. Only with its destruction can we rise anew and create a new Konoha. We will rise again, better than ever."

No one had said a thing as the small army before him continued to kneel and look down. They dared not speak their opinion.

"I can see that some of you are concerned about this. Are you worried about your families perhaps?" With that he was able to see a few of the members fidgeting for a moment. "Very well," He turned to the man to his right again, "Go inform Torune and Fuu that we will delay our plans an hour. In the meantime, tell them they should gather those that are important to them and take them to the shelters hidden along the cliff face. They will be with the civilians and children."

"But lord Danzou-sama, are-"

The old war-hawk held up his hands as a gesture for silence, "We still have several hours before the invasion begins." Suddenly he turned his attention to the small army of shinobi that still kneeled before him and dismissed them with wave of his hand.

Danzou then turned his head to the man at his right again, but he was also gone. He assumed he went to go inform Torune and Fuu of his plans. Now he was alone.

The leader of ROOT turned around to go find his chair and sit to contemplate his decisions. It wasn't very long until he entered his own private office and sat in his comfortable chair. To his right were stacks of jutsu on shelves covered in seals, ready to go up in flames at a hand signs notice.

To his left were cabinets filled with information on his members. Again they were covered in seals that were ready to destroy all that they covered.

"After all this is over I'll finally have the title of Hokage, along with that immortality jutsu. The only thing it'll cost me is an Uchiha." He said aloud to himself as he sat alone in his office.

"My first body will be the Namikaze." He thought eagerly. "With all that power I could easily conquer other nations and finally achieve full control."

He knew of Orochimaru's testing facilities where the Sannin worked for years trying to unlock the mysteries of chakra and what secret powers they offered. He knew because he had volunteered to be one of the sick Sannin's test subjects. His eye and arm was a testament to that.

Still, he wanted more than what life offered because he planned on cloning Naruto so that he could retain the power of the Rinnegan since he would have to continually switch bodies every three years. It was either that – or find other suitable hosts that had miraculous powers.

He then looked down and went over his battle strategy one last time. He was well aware that all of Konoha would be destroyed, but it wasn't the buildings that made the village, it was the people. That is why he would place most of the Root members with the civilians and children – disguised of course. He couldn't let them die, or else the only thing he would be Hokage of was destroyed buildings and rotting corpses. No – the children and civilians had to survive, the rest however, were on their own.

/Break/

Hours had passed and Naruto was ready to leave his apartment and head towards the stadium. He took only what he needed, which was the clothing he wore and his headband.

He learned that he really didn't need to carry large amounts of shuriken, kunai, and ninja wire because his fighting style didn't involve heavy use of weapons.

Naruto's fighting style, more or less, centered on up close ninjutsu and taijutsu. It was only because of his sensei Jiraiya that he started to incorporate seals and puppets into his routine. He didn't really have much practice with them, but he figured in a few years it would become a natural part of style of fighting.

The Namikaze checked his apartment one last time before leaving for the hallway. He turned to lock his door before leaving his apartment complex.

He stepped out into the sun and paused so that he could bring his hand up to cover his eyes. He didn't realize it was horribly bright outside and so he had to give his eyes a few moments to adjust, but while he stood there he noticed something. The village was crowded.

He lived in an apartment complex that was secluded and out of the way in the village, but that still didn't stop him from seeing hundreds of new faces and sounds fill Konoha.

When Naruto felt like his eyes had fully adjusted to the brightness of the sun, he reached up to take his headband off. He didn't need it because it would only hinder his plan to blend into the crowd till he got to the arena.

His plan worked – sort of. There were still a few that recognized him and greeted him, but other than that, it wasn't so bad.

He arrived early and met up with a Chuunin who then escorted him to where the other contestants were. During which time he placed his headband back on.

"Namikaze Naruto," Lee was the first to greet him since he was the first to see him enter the small balcony that they were all standing in, "How have you been?"

"Not bad I guess, you?"

"Youthful as ever! Are you excited?"

He shrugged because he didn't feel like admitting that he too was excited, that he too was looking forward to this.

"Naruto!" Sakura spun around after hearing Lee, "I haven't seen you in a while." She went up to him.

"Yea it's been a while." He smiled hesitantly as he looked to see who else was there. It seemed that only the leaf genins where here – except for one.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura continued, "Have you seen Sasuke?"

"No I haven't seen him all month. I'm sure he'll be here." He replied back. He spent the next few minutes greeting the other Chuunin hopefuls while they all waited for the big event to start. Eventually the two sand ninjas showed, as well Dosu from Hidden Sound.

Naruto was able to greet them before they were called to the middle of the arena. By that time Sasuke had yet to show up.

'_Where could he be? I know he wouldn't miss this for anything.'_ Naruto thought worriedly as he glanced over towards Sakura. He could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Don't worry Sakura, he'll show." As soon as he finished the crowd watching them in the stands roared with excitement.

Naruto looked up to see that the Kages were discussing some issue. It was most likely over the Uchiha. The third looked worried. In fact, most of the shinobi around him looked worried.

All the genins glanced over towards Gaara. The red-headed sand ninja ignored their stares and glared at the Namikaze. He was itching for blood.

/Break/

"What do you think happened to him?" A soft voice came from his right.

"I don't know Haku-san, but I have a feeling he'll show up soon." The masked man replied as he and his partner hid stealthily amongst the crowd of people. They blended in perfectly within the sea of faces.

"Is he the one we came to see?" Haku glanced around, hoping to find any clue of what had happened to the boy.

"No, but he is another important piece to Akatsuki's future. "

/Break/

Sasuke had yet to show up and so the proctors, as well as the Kages, decided to skip his match and go straight to the next one.

The two contestants then made their way down to the arena to fight.

It was Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji.

"You will not win Lee. Please forfeit the match." Neji spoke calmly to his teammate as they continued their walk to the middle of the arena floor, "I do not want to hurt you, but I will if necessary."

"I cannot quit Neji. If I do that, then that is the surest way to never win!" Lee pumped his fist in the air in excitement as they were now in the middle of the arena, ready to begin.

"You cannot beat me Lee. It is not your destiny." Neji warned him once again. He truly did not want to embarrass his teammate in front of thousands of spectators.

"You speak so confidently about destiny. How do you know what will happen? All I know is that I will definitely lose if I do not try." Lee shouted with pride, "and I know I will win today."

For the first time ever, Neji saw Lee in a new light. This was a different Lee than he knew before. The fires in his eyes were brighter than usual. He was confident now. _'Does he know something I don't?'_

"Are you two ready?" The proctor asked.

The both nodded.

"Alright then, begin."

"Last chance Lee," He slipped into his fighting stance.

"Never," He said with confidence, "I cannot quit, because then I cannot accomplish what I set out to do."

"And what was that?" Neji pretended to be interested.

"To be the best Taijutsu user the world has ever seen. That is my wish, my goal, my ambition, my destiny! You may be called a genius, but so was I!"

"You? A genius?" Neji asked doubtfully with a slight bit of humor in voice.

"Yes," Lee yelled proudly as his thoughts returned back to the day he fought against Naruto.

/Flashback/

Lee was breathing heavily while he was on his hands and knees as he clutched the ground beneath him. He looked up at the blonde to see that he had hardly moved during their entire match.

"You did better than expected for someone who cannot use chakra." Naruto stated simply as he looked up at the sky. He saw that the sun was now directly above them.

"Thank you Naruto, but I still wasn't able to beat you." He said in a deflated tone. His head was hanging low to the ground. He felt like crying. It seemed like he could never compare to those with bloodline limits.

"That's not the point Lee." Naruto was still looking up at the sky. "There are still people in this world I cannot beat, but that doesn't mean I should give up. That is a sure way to never win."

Lee looked up at his with awe, but only momentarily. "Thank you Naruto for your kind words, but I still feel like I can never match up to Neji. He is truly a genius, just like you."

"A genius eh?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he turned to face him again. Then there was a small pause between the two as Naruto tried to find the right words to say. Finally, he continued, "Can I let you in on something Lee?" He gained the boy's attention, "You were one of my toughest opponents and you can't even use chakra. No, I can tell from the bruise marks on your hands and your strength that you are a genius of hard work. Something I could never match." It was true to some extent. He had never faced someone who was so fast that his eyes could hardly keep up. He knew that without the power of the Rinnegan, he would be helpless against him.

Another thing he could never match was Lee's unnatural strength. It was something that came from years of dedication and hard work.

Lee's body seemed to be filled with energy as his eyes filled with tears. He slowly started to stand back up, "Thank you Naruto for restoring faith in myself. I should never have doubted myself!" His tears were gone – replaced by the fires of youth. _'I am a genius of hard work!' _

/End Flashback/

Neji knew this fight would be different than the ones he used to have against Lee. He was ready for anything. _'There is no use talking to him now, he is too riled up.'_

Meanwhile, Lee looked up to find his sensei in the stand in hopes of gaining his permission.

"Take them off, Lee!" Gai gave a thumb up towards his favorite student, "Give it everything you got!"

Lee nodded and quickly removed his weights, which didn't surprise Neji at all. He knew that he would be removing them. What he didn't know was that his teammate could also unlock five of the eight gates that regulate a person's chakra pathways.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Chuunin hopefuls stood on the small balcony and simply watched. Naruto was the only one who didn't raise an eyebrow when Lee dropped the weights to fight Neji.

He was, however, surprised that Neji could still so easily keep up with his fast teammate. He couldn't believe the fight would last as long would. The two fighters easily fell into a routine where Lee would attack and Neji would just defend.

From between Neji's occasional words of discouragement towards Lee and Lee's positive remarks about himself laid the true heart of the battle – hard work vs. natural ability. Neji was totally absorbed in the assumption that those born without talent could never achieve anything more than the average.

"Just give up Lee," Neji had just finished his rotation to repel his teammate.

"No," Lee managed to breathe out, "the last time I gave up I lost. I do not plan on losing to you." He then looked up to his sensei.

"Go ahead Lee!" Gai yelled out. They both had the same thing in mind.

"Thank you Gai-sensei!" Lee, with tears of pride in his eyes, then turned to opponent, "you will see why I am a genius of hard work!"

The rest of the crowd (besides Gai), and the other contestants, where shocked when Lee began glowing from power.

'HE TRULY IS A GENIUS OF HARD WORK!' Naruto thought ecstatically as he watched the man he beat a few weeks back, with some effort, open the inner gates. He didn't know anyone who could open the gates, or if they did they never mentioned it. _'Even I can't do that!'_ He gripped the bar that on the balcony and slightly leaned forward to watch what would happen. Lee was something else now.

After that the match was pretty much over as Neji could not keep up with Lee's godly speed.

At the end of it all, several craters were formed on the arena surface as well as an unconscious Neji lying face down with blood seeping out of the many wounds that covered his body.

The crowd roared with excitement at the fighter before them bowed after winning. He was aching so badly that he didn't have the energy to stand, so he fell onto his back. He had a clear view of the sky, until a familiar figure blocked it.

"Gai-sensei!" He said enthusiastically, "I-I one! I actually did it!"

"Of course you did Lee. I always believed in you." He offered a hand to help him up, "It was just a matter of time that you'd believe in yourself as well."

Lee wordlessly took his sensei's hand and was helped back up.

"Your flames of youth shined brightly today." He gave Lee a hug.

"Thank you Gai-sensei!" Lee hugged him back.

Gai helped him off the arena floor and into the infirmary to get checked out by medical professionals. Neji had since then already been carried out by medics.

/Break/

Nara Shikamaru and Temari of the sands made their way down to the arena. The only difference between the two was that Temari took the stairs while Shikamaru was pushed over the railing by Sakura.

The fight eventually took off and the fighters began fighting. Well, Temari was the one fighting while Shikamaru spent the entire time hiding.

After a while it became apparent that the shadow user just wanted to kill time so that the sun would move west, therefore extending his shadow ability.

Temari was careful to note Shikamaru's limit, but she had no clue that the leaf genin could and would use the craters left behind by the previous fighters.

It only took another few minutes for the Nara to formulate a plan and only a minute later to capture Temari with his shadow.

Temari had lost – or would have – had Shikamaru not forfeited due to using too much chakra, or so he said.

The wind user felt cheated. She had lost fair and square, but because of the lazy genius before her, she passed.

At the end, when the crowd was throwing trash at Shikamaru for quitting when he obviously won, she looked over towards Naruto to see him staring at her. He had a faint smile on his face.

She smirked back and headed back to where the other contestants were. She barely made it to the doorway that led upstairs when the crowd suddenly began cheering. She turned slowly to see a swirl of leaves and two people standing back to back. It was the Uchiha kid and his sensei.

'_About time they showed up,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at them from the upper balcony.

Sasuke looked around to see the crowd cheering for him already. He didn't think anything of it.

"Hey Kakashi," The proctor said as he approached them with a smile on his face.

"Are we too late?" Kakashi asked with utter fear in his voice.

The proctor looked at his watch, pretending that it mattered, "Nah your good. We'll go ahead and have his match now."

"Alright," He nodded and looked over at his student, "Are you ready?"

Sasuke gave a quick hand gesture while he continued to look around the stadium. He continued until he found who he was looking for. _'There you are Naruto.'_ He saw him in the little balcony where the other contestants were. Next to him was Gaara who dissolved into a swirl of sand which headed for the open arena.

It was about this time that Shikamaru and Temari had already made it to the doorway that exited the arena floor and into the stands. Shikamaru headed to the stands to be next to his friend Chouji while Temari remained on course towards Naruto and the others.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura said as she walked up next to him and leaned against the railing, "I'm going to go talk with Kakashi." She looked at him for a response.

"Okay," He said awkwardly. He didn't know why she needed to inform him but he just shrugged it off as a friend thing. It didn't really bother him at all.

The blonde then turned his attention to the battle that was about to begin down below. He knew there were only two more fights before him and Dosu were to battle. The Namikaze was all too eager to show off his new jutsu.

Naruto watched the match silently, taking in all that he could from both fighters. He had never seen Gaara fight, so he wanted to know everything about him, in case he won. Then there was Sasuke, his teammate that he had not seen in a month. He wondered what the Uchiha had learned up to that point.

So far it seemed his Taijutsu increased to incredible speeds, ones that match Lee with his weights on. That in itself was remarkable for a feat to be accomplished in just a month's time. He learned all too quickly that Sasuke did in fact have Lee's speed, but not stamina. _'Did he copy Lee's speed with his Sharingan?_'

It appeared that the doujutsu of the Uchiha clan was becoming more and more dangerous. _'What else can he copy?' _

It wasn't until the end of the match that he got the biggest surprise of all, the Chidori. Sasuke used it expertly and pierced Gaara's right shoulder. That was when things got interesting.

By this time he already had his Rinnegan on to watch the match, but that wasn't what had his attention at the moment. It was the Genjutsu that was being placed over the crowd_. 'Something's going on.'_ He turned to Temari but she had already disappeared.

He looked back at the match to see Temari and Kankurou carrying off an injured Gaara off the arena and into the forest on the outside. They had planned on escaping. He didn't know what was going on at the moment, but the sounds of metal clashing above him in the crowds was almost a dead giveaway.

He left to go check on Sakura.

Shino and Dosu where the only ones left in the contestant's balcony, but only for a short moment before Dosu vanished without a sound.

Naruto arrived to see shinobi battling it out above a sleeping crowd. It didn't take long for Kakashi to find him.

"Naruto," He said as he kicked an enemy shinobi, sending him flying towards Gai, "I need you to do something for me."

Naruto repelled a volley of kunai that was thrown their way, "What is it?"

His sensei pointed to Sasuke who had just disappeared over the arena wall to chase an injured Gaara, "Go help out Sasuke," He glanced over towards Sakura who was barely peering over her seat, "You too."

Kakashi quickly summoned Pakkun and ordered him to follow Sasuke's scent.

Sakura nodded and with as much bravery as she could muster, she stood up and began following Naruto and Pakkun, until she tripped over someone.

"Tch, troublesome." A supposed unconscious nin muttered.

"Shikamaru! Are you pretending to be unconscious?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well not anymore." He too ended up joining them.

The group reached the arena floor and was headed for the arena wall Sasuke used to escape when an opponent appeared before them.

"I'm not supposed to let you pass," It was Dosu and he was pointing at Naruto.

"Alright," he told him, "You guys keep going, I'll only be a minute."

They nodded and jumped passed Dosu who made no movement towards them.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked when they were alone.

Dosu just shrugged his shoulders in response before lifting up his right sleeve to reveal his "melody arm". It was a metallic forearm guard that made sound waves.

"So you're not going to tell me." Naruto reasoned, "I guess I'll have to get the answers from you." He thought about reading the nin's mind.

"My orders were to detain you for as long as possible." He said confidently, "and that's what I'll do."

Naruto sighed before going into his own fighting stance. His brain was already trying to formulate a plan. He knew that Dosu mainly used sound as his ally and that it could travel through the water in a human body. The only way he could win was to be faster than sound.

Naruto also noted that Dosu had an apparent weakness, and that was that the right side of his face that was wrapped up in bandages. That meant he couldn't see on that side nor did he have a definite feel depth perception.

Meanwhile, Dosu didn't move. He had the advantage of not having anywhere he needed to be. All he had to do was make sure Naruto didn't leave the arena so that Sasuke had plenty of time to resort to using the curse seal against Gaara.

Naruto kicked things off by summoning a few clones and had them charge. They didn't last long against a blast of sound from Dosu's "melody arm".

"There's something you should know Namikaze," Dosu said as he dispelled the last clone, "I have a complete understanding of sound and its waves." He narrowed his one visible eye and quickly struck the ground, making it explode from extreme amounts of amplified sound.

A few clones were revealed to be hiding underneath the ground as familiar poofs were heard and seen. "Nothing gets past my ears, though it was clever of you to create them underground instead of near you."

'_He could hear them under ground?' _Naruto thought_, 'That's impossible!'_

The blonde created three more clones but he didn't have them charge, this time they used their ocular powers.

One of them held out their hands and called out, "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)."

Dosu didn't know what was happening, but suddenly he was being pulled by an unknown force towards the three clones that stood in front of the real Naruto.

The second clone was ready to jump on him and absorb his chakra while the third was prepared to read his mind by having his hand reaching out towards him. He wanted information from him before he took his life.

Dosu wasn't quite sure what to do so he just closed his eyes and twirled around like mad in midair, causing sound waves to circle him and eventually expand, catching all three clones off guard. Naruto standing in the back, along with his clones, where knocked back.

Dosu landed as gracefully as he could and charged the real Naruto when he heard the clones poof out of existence. He swiped at him with his melody arm. "Kyoumeisen (Vibrating Sound Drill)."

The sound nin used his chakra to guide the sound waves into the blonde's ears. Dosu smirked, "Your useless now." He pulled out a kunai while watching Naruto clutching his ear in pain, "and here I thought the Rinnegan was supposed to be all powerful and dangerous."

He leaned over and was ready to cut his throat when Naruto suddenly gained control of himself and immediately latched out and grabbed his arm.

The sound nin was taken by surprise and was able to get off one last swing with his melody arm. He controlled the sound waves with his chakra and into his opponent's ears again, hoping to disorientate him, but it had no effect. "What the-" was all that he was able to say before the blonde's arms extended and wrapped itself completely around him.

"What are you?" His voice was full of fear.

It became apparent moments afterwards when the real Naruto appeared behind him. The one that had him wrapped up was a puppet.

"You rely on sound too much." The real Naruto said as he approached him from behind. "You didn't even check to see the clones dispersed with your own eyes. You just relied on your ears. You didn't know that I was hiding in the shadow of one of my shadow clones."

"But when did you have time to do that?" He managed to say as the puppet wrapped itself tighter around him.

"When you were spinning around, you unintentionally closed your eyes to keep yourself from being disoriented. I figured you were forming an attack so I switched myself out with a puppet and hid within my clones shadow. I knew your attacks would have no effect on a puppet."

Dosu let out a small laugh before turning his head to look at the blond that was behind him, "You certainly did your homework, but you forgot to research one thing."

"And what was that?"

"How far your opponent is willing to go," His words where immediately followed by an explosion that separated himself from the puppet that was holding him. He flew back towards the blonde that was standing a few yards behind him.

Dosu twisted his body in mid flight and tackled Naruto, hoping to bring him to the ground.

Although Naruto was caught off guard, he certainly was able to counter Dosu's maneuver. Instead of dodging him, he simply grabbed a hold of his left arm with his right and began draining him of chakra for only a moment before letting him fly past him.

The blast had enough force to continue carrying the sound nin past Naruto, but it was the Leaf genin's second attack that made him crash into the arena wall.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)." Naruto called out. He watched Dosu crash into the circular wall that surrounded the arena. He wasted no time letting Dosu get back up and so he was already on him and grabbed him by the throat.

"Now tell me what's going on!" Naruto demanded after pinning him to the wall.

"Go to hell." Dosu replied back. It was then that Naruto saw the massive, gaping wound on his chest from the explosion he caused to escape. _'He'll do anything it seems. Even kill himself.'_

Naruto looked back up to Dosu's left eye and countered, "I'll show you hell. Now tell me before I have to force it out of you."

Dosu's only eye opened wide in shock, "What the hell is that!"

Naruto, with his hand still firmly locked around Dosu's throat turned to see what it was.

/Break/

Tobi and Haku stood calmly on top of one of the stadium's three buildings. They looked over to see the center one being occupied by Orochimaru and the Hokage. They stood on the roof of the far right building because that offered the best view point of Naruto. They stood unchallenged as no one seemed aware of their presence.

"Interesting," Tobi said in a serious manner. He forgot Haku was with him as well.

"What is it, Tobi-san?"

"Oh, Haku-san it's nothing," He reverted back to his goofy self after Haku spoke, "It's nothing."

But on the inside he watched the boy with great interest. He knew what the technique was. _'It seems he can summon the King of Hell. He's progressing far too quickly._' He then looked closer at the situation, mainly their expressions_, 'No, this is his first time. He looks too shocked to see the Outer Path.'_

"What are you looking at Tobi-san," Haku watched his partner stare at the two kids far down below with unwavering attention.

"N-nothing Haku-san!" He once again reverted back to his goofy character, "I was just curious about the boy we're supposed to watch."

Haku turned his head towards them and tried to spy anything out of the ordinary. All he could see was the blonde headed one pinning the Sound nin up against the wall. Granted they both looked spooked, it still seemed like a normal fight..

'_I wonder what all this is about. To risk going into a village and to even remain while it's being invaded. This boy must be special…'_

/Break/

Naruto raced through the trees without any real direction. He had absolutely no idea where his group had chased Sasuke to, but he figured it would have had to of been close in this direction. His only thoughts at the moment were what he had done earlier.

It seemed to him that he summoned something that he wasn't supposed to. A demon from hell.

This demon had eyes like him, but what scared him most was when Dosu's soul emerged from his bandaged-covered mouth and headed for the demon behind him. It looked like a giant tongue. The purple flames covering this demon did little to distract from the hand that emerged from its mouth to grab a hold of Dosu's soul.

Naruto felt as if it would pass judgment. Bravely he remembered asking Dosu one last time, and to his surprise, Dosu answered truthfully when he said that he didn't know. That was when his soul raced back into his body and the Demon behind him left.

Naruto remembered dropping him on the ground before racing after his friends. His mind too clouded with confusion to really know what exactly happened.

The blonde then landed on the next branch with added force so that he could stop and catch his breath. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, and when he believed it was safe, he summoned a dog that was similar to Pakkun to find and follow their trail. It didn't take long.

Minutes later he was racing through the trees behind a canine that was hot on their trail. He passed several markers that were made by someone from his group, but they slowly started to go off course. _'Were they being followed?'_

He and the dog could only guess as to what was going on but nevertheless they chose to follow Pakkun and Sakura's scent instead of Shikamaru's. It was a few more minutes of traveling when he could faintly hear Sakura and Sasuke. He silently dismissed the dog and approached them quietly.

He arrived to a horrifying scene.

Gaara, who was mostly covered in sand except his legs, was slowly crushing the life out of Sakura and Temari while Sasuke charged ahead in one last go with his Chidori. Naruto made a quick scan of the environment, noting that most of the trees had been scorched or large chunks were missing, probably due to fire jutsus and Chidori respectively, while ninja wire and other gear lay embedded into the surrounding environment.

Sasuke was heading towards Gaara when a massive sand wall rose between them. "Is that the best you can do, Sasuke?" Gaara yelled out. He had enough of Sasuke's interference.

Sasuke was already going too fast to suddenly change directions, so he chose to try and run through it.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)." Naruto stepped into the action and repelled Sasuke faster than he was already going.

With the Uchiha's already fast momentum, combined with Naruto's jutsu; it gave Sasuke an incredible speed boost that allowed him to pierce the thick wall of sand with ease. With his Sharingan active, he was able to adjust his eyesight to his new speed.

With his Sharingan he was able to spot and propel himself off a nearby tree branch, which slightly altered his direction. With that, he was able to maneuver around Gaara's natural defense and pierce his lower left ribcage.

The chirping noise of the Chidori eventually died down and all was silent. It seemed that time momentarily stopped as Sasuke was kneeling in front of Gaara with his left arm going through the sand nin's body – blood pouring out from both ends of his torso.

Gaara looked down in horror at the Uchiha. He could feel Sasuke's arm against his ribs. Then he let out a blood chilling scream.

Sasuke quickly pulled his arm out from Gaara's midsection and leapt back. He wasn't quick enough as sand began rushing to him. The curse mark that had covered his body began receding back as he had used up everything he had on that one last Chidori. He was completely exhausted.

"Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)" Naruto held out his hands towards the Uchiha.

Naruto quickly created two more clones that stayed behind him. The real Naruto caught Sasuke while the other two summoned Temari and Sakura. They were able to escape the bondage of sand that was slowly squeezing the life out of them.

All three of them looked at him in surprise_. 'Is he able to summon people to his aid?'_ Sasuke thought in jealousy. _'Such power…'_

Temari had similar thoughts, but chose to keep them to herself. She was too out of breath to say anything.

"Naruto," Sakura said softly as she tried desperately to stay awake. She was on the verge of passing out due to her entire body almost being crushed. It would take a few more minutes before her strength returned.

"Sakura," The clone that summoned her was still holding her up, "What happened?"

"There's no time for that Naruto," Sasuke fell to his knees when he tried to stand, "We have to stop him."

Temari, who was also saved by Naruto, stayed silent. She thought about asking Naruto to not hurt her little brother, but was too scared to say anything. She felt that it would be too much to ask considering the circumstance. Besides, it was hard looking at the creature that used to be her brother and ask for such a thing. Especially since she was almost killed.

Meanwhile, Gaara spent his time howling in pain. He had been injured for the second time that day and he was already close to losing his mind completely. Eventually though he calmed himself down. He didn't know what to do so eventually he resorted to what he always did in times of uncertainty, killing everyone in sight.

"Namikaze Naruto!" He yelled in delight when he looked up to see him standing there. His body was now healing himself at an impressive speed. "I was hoping I would have the chance of fighting you! I've spent all this time waiting and waiting," Sand was now slowly incasing his legs while his wound was almost healed. His voice was different now. It was a higher pitch.

"I'll take care of this. Sasuke, you look after them." Naruto's voice carried a small amount of authority. This was no time for debating.

Sasuke clenched his fist and teeth but eventually did what he was asked. He knew at his current state that he could barely stand, let alone fight. So with the last bit of his strength he carried Sakura away.

The blonde went through the list of jutsus he had in his arsenal. _'Before I do anything I need to get Gaara away from everyone.'_

He quickly raised his hands and shouted, "Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)," Hoping to send the Jinchuuriki away from them.

Gaara anticipated this and had wrapped his tail around the branch he was on. "I know all your tricks Namikaze!" His tail kept him in place as his body was being forced back.

Naruto narrowed his eyes_. 'This will be trickier than I thought.'_ He understood that he would probably have to throw out at least half of his techniques out since he probably could not get up close, at least not without being wrapped up in sand.

He also knew that it cut out his push/pull technique because Gaara was aware of how it worked. _'Guess I'll have to fight him another way.'_

His two clones that he used to summon Sakura and Temari were now right behind him. "You got something planned?" One of them asked.

"Nope," Naruto didn't take his eyes of Gaara, "but I figured something will come to me."

The clones couldn't see him smiling.

Meanwhile, Gaara now looked like a mini Shukaku. Any physical element of being human was gone now. Sand covered his body completely. The only thing that remained of Gaara was his height and the tattoo on his forehead.

Naruto couldn't help but think that this was close to what the One-tailed Demon looked like inside him.

'_He's made of sand and it seemed Sasuke's Chidori worked, so I should probably focus on Lightning.'_ He reasoned, but there was just one problem – he only knew a few lightning type jutsus.

He shrugged at his predicament and decided to just charge him. He leapt off with good speed with his clones trailing close behind him.

"Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)" The mini Shukaku went on the offensive when he saw the blonde rushing forward.

The real Naruto, who was leading the two clones, merely repelled them with his divine judgment technique.

Gaara, who knew that anything else he threw at him would only be repelled, decided to now go on the defensive and called up massive amounts of sand from the ground below.

Naruto was too quick and reached him before the sand fully rose. The leaf genin leapt up and over Gaara while his two clones tackled him. The Sand nin's attention had followed the real Naruto that jumped over him, leaving the two clones able to do as they pleased.

They had knocked him off the branch he was on, but because his tail was still wrapped around it, he didn't fall and hit the ground. He merely hung upside down.

The two clones were immediately wrapped and killed with sand while the real Naruto had clapped his hands together to summon his last puppet. They both landed gracefully on another tree branch not too far from Gaara.

By this time the sand from below had risen up and began piling up onto him. The sand nin was using chakra to compact it to make himself stronger than before as he climbed back up onto the tree branch.

Naruto knew just by looking at him with his Rinnegan that Gaara was now wearing an armor of sand on top of his demon form. But he had an idea.

He looked over at his clones to see if he was thinking along similar lines. He saw his puppet begin tinkering with his right arm.

"You have a plan?" He asked his puppet in surprise.

"Isn't it the puppet master who's supposed to be pulling the strings here?" He replied back with a bit of a laugh, "but yea I do." He quickly told him and then leapt off towards the transformed demon.

When he was close, the mini Shukaku dished out another attack, "Fuuton: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa (Wind Technique: Infinite Dust Great Breakthrough)" A blast of wind and dust jet out from his mouth and headed towards the charging blonde.

The puppet only held out his hands to protect its eyes in response and kept charging. Unlike normal clones, he was able to take damage and he didn't feel pain and unlike a puppet, it didn't rely on the puppet master to move him. The only drawback was that he couldn't cast jutsus, only transform himself.

Gaara, who figured that the technique would have destroyed the clone, was now left in surprise when the puppet landed just before him.

Meanwhile, the real Naruto sent two special clones to flank Gaara while he was being distracted by his puppet clone.

Gaara's eyes rose in surprise when Naruto's arm broke down and transform itself into a drill. He plunged forward, but his feet were wrapped up by sand, preventing him from moving any closer. His drill was only a foot away from Gaara.

"Is that the best you got?" Gaara asked before being jumped from behind by two clones.

The two clones latched on to Gaara's back and exploded, both giving out a massive amount of electrical discharge.

It was enough of a blast to make Gaara stumble forward quite a bit, as well as take off most of his armor. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for him to plunge into the drill – not until the real Naruto helped the situation out a bit.

"Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)" It was with this extra pull that forced Gaara to move forward, right onto the puppet's drill, leaving a hole the size a fist through his right lung.

Gaara wanted to desperately to scream but couldn't find the voice to do so. He was breathless as he watched the world around him go black. The last thing he saw was his own blood pouring down a still spinning drill.

The puppet stopped his arm drill and removed it from the dead nin's chest. He looked back at his master with a small sigh of relief and a bit of pride as Gaara's body fell off the tree and landed on the ground below. "That wasn't so bad."

Just after the puppet spoke, both he and the real Naruto felt a massive explosion of chakra coming from below.

The puppet Naruto never even had a chance to move out of the way when a massive amount of sand developed around him and crushed him.

The real Naruto was luckier as he jumped high up into the air and repelled the sand around him. He then landed gracefully on top of a nearby tree and was granted a front row ticket to witness Gaara's transformation into the one-tailed beast.

Thinking quickly, he summoned Sakura, Sasuke and Temari to him so they weren't accidently crushed by Shukaku's transformation.

The three appeared behind him. Again they were shocked at Naruto's ability to summon but at the moment they were more preoccupied by the giant one-tailed demon standing before them.

"This is bad," Temari was the first to speak, "Gaara's no longer in control. I advise everyone to run."

"Don't worry I got this." Even Naruto was a bit skeptical of his own words, but only a bit.

"You don't understand Naruto, this thing is too powerful to handle. We need to get out of here." Temari said with more conviction than before.

"Please Naruto, listen to her. This might be out of our league." Sakura pleaded. Sure she had faith in Naruto's ability, but she didn't want them tested if they didn't have to be.

Naruto was silent for a moment. He thought for several seconds before turning to Sasuke, "You want to run too?" He asked. He wanted a fourth vote.

Sasuke looked down in shame; he could barely move and was supported by Sakura because of the effects of the curse mark now that she had gained some of her strength back. "I decided a long time ago that I was done running Naruto." His tone was unusually dark, but Naruto ignored it and focused on his answer.

"See, that's two against two." He turned back to the Shukaku who was now celebrating his return to the world of the living instead of being trapped in Gaara's body.

"Besides, I need to stop it before it reaches the village," Without turning around he continued, "Temari, I need you to help them get away."

She nodded. It was the least she could do since they had saved her life several times already. "Naruto, can I ask you one thing?" She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know I should have said this before but If there is any chance of saving him, please do it. I know I'm asking a lot, but he's my little brother. I know deep down inside he's still in there somewhere."

"I'll do what I can." He never did turn around to see her expression.

"Please Naruto, try not to hurt him." It was obvious that guilt was getting to her now since she didn't voice an opinion before.

"I'll do what I can." He repeated before the three of them left him alone on top of the tree. For one single moment he felt odd. He was facing a demon that was threatening the village, just like his father, except Naruto was alone.

He was alone now facing it head on.

"**Namikaze Naruto**!" He yelled in delight, "**You are stronger than what I would have imagined**!" He then looked up to the sky with unequal delight, **"I've been waiting so long to fight you! Do you know how badly I had to keep myself in check**?"

The blonde shrugged in response. He didn't care, he was just going through all the options he had at this point.

The One-tailed bijuu ignored the fact that Naruto didn't answer him and casually remarked, **"It's been a while since I've seen those eyes of yours**!" Naruto could definitely tell by the voice that it was no longer Gaara who was speaking, but the Bijuu. It was free.

"You've seen these eyes before?" He asked, "When?"

The One-tailed Shikaku laughed and replied, "**That doesn't matter right now**." The Shikaku had more on its mind than spending its newly found freedom talking about the past. So, it began with what it did best, killing everything in sight.

"**Fuuton: Renduukan (Wind Style: Drilling Air Projectile)**" The demon inhaled a large amount of air before slamming on its inflated gut. Three air bullets shot forth from his mouth and headed towards the blonde.

The Namikaze simply repelled them before they even got close, causing them to explode in mid air between himself and the one-tailed demon.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto was still standing on top of the tree looking at him. This time however, he noticed a small person emerge out of the Shukaku's head. It was Gaara.

With his eyes he was able to see the chakra still pulsing in his body_. 'He's still alive. He was probably being healed this entire time.'_

Suddenly he felt something disturbing the tree below him. He looked down to see that it was sand slowly crawling up the tree. It was almost on him.

Being quick on his feet he decided to jump up into the air. He wasn't too surprised to see the sand chase after him. He repelled the sand before it reached him, but then he realized that as soon as he did, the one-tailed demon had sent two air bullets at him.

He was forced to turn his body and absorb one of the air bullets, but the second one was hidden in the shadow of the first. He wasn't able to see it.

The second hit him hard, sending him flying through the air. He looked at where he was going to land and saw a massive amount of sand waiting for him. He clapped his hands together.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)" A giant hawk appeared beneath him. It carried the blond higher into the air and away from the deadly ground below.

/Break/

"Should we help him?" Haku asked out of concern. After all, why sneak into a village during an invasion to watch a boy die?

"No Haku-san," Tobi said as he and Haku watched from a distance, "We have to see if he has what it takes!"

The ice-nin didn't quite know what was going on but he figured he would have to just sit back and watch. He was impressed by the boy's stamina and chakra levels as the blonde haired shinobi continued to launch out jutsu after jutsu towards the one-tailed demon. None seemed to have any effect.

'_And I always thought Zabuza was a demon…' _his eyes were now focused on the Shukaku as it tried to pry Naruto from the sky.

/Break/

Several minutes later Naruto soon found himself handling more than he wanted. He was constantly being barraged by air bullets while sand continued to chase him around. Luckily for him though the bird he was riding on was not only fast, but agile as well.

Many times he had tried to get close, only to be blocked by sand. Once he tried repelling the one-tailed behemoth, but he found that it took way too much chakra to move something of that caliber. Its real form was just too big to move.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he was running out of chakra.

"**Is this all that you got Namikaze**?" He yelled out just after letting another air projectile loose.

The blonde knew that he needed to get close, but he had no way of doing so, not without being covered in sand. It wasn't until he laid eyes on Gaara's unconscious body half emerged atop the Shukaku's head again that he suddenly had an idea.

He held out his right arm as the bird underneath him continued to fly about in circles. He had faith that the bird could continue to dodge, "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)"

Gaara's body slowly started to move towards the blonde, but sand quickly rose up to stop Gaara's body from moving any further. **"It's too late now Namikaze! Waking him up now would be pointless because my powers have almost fully awakened**!" Sand covered Gaara completely as he shrank back into the sand until he disappeared entirely.

To prove his point, he raised both hands high in the air. The dirt below rose up to fill the sky.

Naruto was stunned. He was looking at a sea of sand between him and the one-tailed demon. He looked down to see that the giant bird was still doing okay_. 'I don't have enough chakra to handle this. I'm already almost out.' _He thought bitterly about all those air bullets he either had to absorb or repel in order to protect the bird he was on or all the jutsus he wasted against it. He couldn't keep it up forever, but now he had bigger things to worry about. The sky was now filled with sand.

"I only have one shot at this," He said to himself as readied himself for a charge.

The bird seemed in synch with him as it too changed its course of direction slightly.

Then, suddenly, the hawk burst forward with unprecedented speed. Naruto crouched slightly and gripped the hawk's back for support.

The bird flew head on into the sea of sand that floated between Naruto and his opponent.

The sand began closing in on them, hoping to crush them alive. Naruto waited till the last second possible before placing most of his remaining chakra into one final jutsu.

"Shinra Tensei - Divine Judgment" The sand was repelled instantly, leaving a hole for the bird to fly through.

The one-tailed demon quickly released a volley of air projectiles into the floating sand, hoping to hit them.

The bird was able to dodge all but the last one, which almost struck them dead on.

Naruto had quickly dismissed his summon and jumped off his back before the bird was pelted with the air bullet. He was close enough now that he no longer needed it. Because the bird was traveling through the air so swiftly, he was able soar through the air and land on top of the Bijuu's head with its momentum. He was now hoping to rip out its soul.

He placed both hands down and began to peer into its mind. It was weird to him because the very first memories of the Shukaku were of the Rinnegan. He then remembered that the fox was trying to tell him something important about it. Guess he would have to visit him sometime.

The Shukaku was less than thrilled that a stranger was peaking around its mind. In fact it was horrified because it could no longer move its body. However, it could still move the sands.

Naruto knew he was on a time limit because he could feel the sands approaching him in all directions. He had to act quickly.

He wasted no time and quickly found the Bijuu's soul., but there was a problem. It seemed that Gaara and the Bijuu where so closely intertwined that if he were to remove it, he would kill Gaara in the process.

He didn't really know what to do, until his conversation with Jiraiya popped up in his mind. _'Yin and Yang chakra…'_

Not only was it a long shot, but it was also just a theory as well, but he had to try.

Acting quickly he felt the Yin and Yang chakra inside the demon and tried to separate them. Surprisingly it wasn't difficult at all. In his left hand he felt the Yin chakra as the Yin chakra was drawn to his right hand. He could feel the familiar darkness within the Yin chakra. It reminded him of the Kyuubi.

He then let go of the Yang chakra and concentrated all of his efforts on the Yin, hoping to pull it from Gaara's body. He struggled as he tried to desperately beat the clock. There was no time to waste as sand was still rushing towards him from all directions. He pulled for a few more moments before he suddenly had to stop. It was now that he came to realize that the Bijuu's mind and chakra were too closely intertwined, and that if you use the Bijuu's chakra, you lose yourself to its influence. It was too overwhelming.

Even now he could feel the evilness and pure darkness flowing freely amongst the mass of Yin chakra. There was no doubt that this is what had taken over Gaara's mind.

Naruto knew that he was no match for the Bijuus dark influence. It would take over him just as it had Gaara unless he knew how to masterfully seal it away. He was no were close to his father's ability to seal away anything.

All he knew now was that he had to get away from the demon. At least now he knew that separating the demon from its host would kill them and that using the Tailed Demon's chakra would slowly corrupt them as well. It meant that if he used too much of the Kyuubi's chakra, he too would lose control of himself.

Within moments he had launched himself off of Gaara and headed for the trees down below. He didn't know what to do because now he was extremely low on charka. Whatever his next move was had to be the last.

Naruto turned around while he was still in the air to look at the demon. He looked just in time to see a mountain of sand following him. There was no way of defeating it. Seconds later he was encased with as much sand that made up the Shukaku himself.

"**HAHAHAHA, I finally caught you**!" The demon squealed in delight as he made the sand rise before him.

Naruto struggled frantically trying to free himself. He didn't want to die like this.

The demon then made a motion with his hand that signaled the sand to slowly start crushing its victim.

The blonde slowly started to feel the pressure all around him. It was enough to take the air out of his lungs_. 'Think…think!_' Slowly the world began to black out as his eyes closed. He had lost consciousness.

Within seconds he opened his eyes again, but this time the boy seemed different.

Without warning, a small, black ball emerged from the cocoon of sand encasing the boy.

"Chibaku Tensei - Bursting Earth Celestial Body" Naruto yelled out from within the confines of the sand.

Slowly but surely the Shukaku slowly began moving towards the small black sphere.

"**What's going on**?" He asked in surprise as his body was lifted from the ground. He tried desperately to get away, but the attraction to the small sphere was too great and eventually it was lifted up and drawn to the ominous sphere in the sky. Soon, the ground beneath him began to tremble before breaking apart violently and floating up to join the Shukaku.

The sand that was slowly crushing Naruto began ripping off and floating over towards the black sphere.

It only took moments for the demon to figure out what was going on as the earth rose up to cover him. His shrieks and yells were now muffled by the earth.

Naruto fell from the sky and landed hard on the ground since the sand was no longer supporting him.

Slowly he stood up. Blood was pouring from his eyes, as well as from several other gaping wounds that covered his body. He ignored them while he clasped his hands together again. His eyes were filled with anger and determination. He would not let the beast escape from its new prison.

Power surged from within the black sphere, causing more of the earth to be pulled up. Trees, wildlife, and the very ground itself was ripped up and pulled towards the ever growing sphere. A massive crater beneath the giant ball of earth was forming.

Naruto never even blinked as he continued to stare at the sphere hovering hundreds of feet in the air. Massive amounts of power flowed from Naruto, mostly demonic as the ball of debris continued to rise as more earth continued to pile onto it. The ground below it was forced up. The only thing that wasn't called forth was Naruto who stood just at the edge of the utterly massive crater. Every part of his body ached in pain, but he didn't care. He just wanted to seal the beast and send it into the sun.

'_Please, don't hurt him…he's still in there somewhere.'_ Fragments of a familiar voice echoed through his mind. He couldn't recall from where but he seemed compelled to follow it. "I'll do what I can." He said to himself as his hands flashed through a few more jutsus before collapsing down on the ground. He was done for the day.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Temari were chasing Sasuke. The Uchiha had felt useless and shame from running away, so he decided to go back and tackle the one-tailed beast himself. He was almost there when he saw a small black orb jet towards the sky.

He ignored it and continued on for a moment, until he noticed that the earth beneath the orb, as well as the Shukaku, was being drawn towards it. He quickly activated his curse seal so that he could move faster.

He landed a few dozen yards behind Naruto just as he collapsed to the ground. The Uchiha didn't waste any time and looked up to see what the Namikaze had done. What he saw shocked him.

A mile or so in the air was a massive sphere that blocked out the sun. Black markings then appeared around the sphere just before heavy black chains burst from within the seals and slowly wrapped itself around it – forever sealing the demon within.

Sasuke's jaw dropped at the sheer magnitude of what he was seeing. It looked to him as if the moon was only a few miles from him and was wrapped in chains. He then looked down at the blonde. _'So much power…I need to kill him now or I might never be able to.' _

The Uchiha suddenly clutched his neck in pain and dropped to his knees. He had pushed himself too far and his body was slowly starting to give out_. 'I can make it.'_

He slowly started to inch his way towards his hated rival while ignoring the bruises that covered his own body. He was going to kill Naruto.

He was close, unimaginably close, when familiar hands wrapped around him and pulled him back.

"It's okay Sasuke, the fights over." Sakura tried to comfort him, "Don't worry, I'll check on Naruto. You need to rest." She forcibly laid him down.

Sasuke wanted to cry right then. He hated her more than anything at the moment, but he was too tired to do anything. _'Stupid girl…'_ He then blacked out.

/Break/

All the shinobi battling it out in Konoha stopped when they saw the moon hovering only a few miles above the earth surface. Somehow they all knew who it was.

"Time to retreat everyone," Baki yelled out as he and a group of sand nin left the area. For them the invasion was short lived, but to Konoha, it was a victory.

"Well Orochimaru?" The third Hokage said confidently as he held firmly onto his old student. "Do you see what Konoha is capable of? The will of fire will never be extinguished, not even by you."

Orochimaru would have responded, but instead he was too focused on the massive moon that hovering miles above the woods in the far distance. _'Was the story true? Did the Sage of Six paths really create the moon?'_

In the end, Orochimaru escaped with his plans foiled and the Third Hokage died sealing the first and second Hokage, as well as Orochimaru's arms, within himself. He had a smile on his face.

Orochimaru, even after losing his arms, felt as if he gained a new perspective on what it meant to be powerful. _'I must have those eyes…'_

/Break/

Danzou walked slowly out of the meeting with the leaders of Fire country unsatisfied. Although he tried to convince the leaders of Fire Country that he was the best choice as the new Hokage, they still denied him.

With a long sigh, he looked over the balcony railings and saw the smoke and dust still rising up from the destroyed buildings. All around them were the villagers helping to rebuild them.

He didn't smile. For once his plan had followed perfectly, except for the part of him becoming Hokage. The village was destroyed and the shinobi were still recovering, the Third battled and lost to one of his pupils, and the seat of power lay open for grabs.

He grabbed a hold of the railing with his left hand and squeezed tightly for far below him on the ground was Jiraiya. They originally asked him to rule the village, but he turned it down. Danzou was fortunate that the perverted sage liked to shy away from power and responsibility, but would he be so lucky with the council's other choice?

He feared he wouldn't be. He didn't have much time so he decided to act while the toad sage and his pupil were gone.

'_What a strange request to ask for Naruto's company,'_ Danzou thought as he watched the Sannin walk over towards the hospital, _'They might be growing closer to each other. I should probably stop them from being together so often._'

It was during his spout of jealousy and fear that a new plan formulated in his mind.

His left hand went from grabbing the bar over to his patched right eye. He didn't remove the bandages, but merely placed his hand over it, _'It's time to give Uchiha Shisui's eye another go.'_

He wasn't done fighting for the crown. He knew he would win this round without the interference of the toad sage and Kakashi. Still, out of respect for the Third he would wait till after his funeral to manipulate the council.

Before he walked back into the Hokage Tower, he took a moment to look at the massive sphere that was hovering miles over the trees of Konoha in the far distance. He was informed earlier that day that Naruto had managed to seal the One-Tailed Bijuu into it.

His initial impression was that Naruto had become sagely if he was following in the footsteps of the Sage of Six Paths, but when he asked the boy himself later on, he learned that the boy didn't remember doing such a feat. He had blacked out.

As strange as all of it was, he was fortunate to have another potential Jinchuuriki at his disposal. The only thing left to do was to release the Biju from his prison and have Naruto place it into a container. Soon after that he would have to find an appropriate child to place it in. Konohamaru perhaps?

He turned away from the sphere knowing that he would check it out himself later on. _'One thing at a time Danzou, one thing at a time._' He told himself as he left the balcony and returned back inside.

/Break/

"Hey kid," Jiraiya greeted as he entered through the hospital window. "Hurry up or you're going to miss the funeral today."

The blonde looked at him with sad eyes. "I can't because they won't discharge me. They said my wounds are too great. Besides, they took my clothing since they were covered in blood."

The toad sage rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmm, I could help you, but then you have to help me in return." He smiled devilishly. He had already planned everything out.

"What do you need help with?" Naruto remained apprehensive. He knew that Jiraiya was a perverted old man and it wasn't below him to ask for him to use his Rinnegan to lure in fan girls.

"I was assigned a difficult mission and I might need help. So, if I help you out of the hospital, would you accompany the world's greatest Sage?" He asked.

Naruto ignored Jiraiya's boast and immediately agreed on his request. He wanted to go to the funeral badly enough so he could pay his respects to the one man who treated him kindly his whole life. Even when he was little the old man would always come by and chat with him. He was like a grandfather.

"Thought so," Jiraiya threw a backpack at the blonde and jumped out the window, "I'll meet you outside!" He was already gone but his voice somehow lingered.

Naruto quickly unzipped the bag to find some clothing that Jiraiya generously provided.

Without wasting any time he poured the contents out onto his bed and quickly dressed himself. He knew that if the nurse walked in and spotted him, they would tie him down to prevent him from leaving until he was fully healed.

When he was done, he shouldered the backpack and headed for the window. He jumped out recklessly but somehow landed on the ground casually, next to the perverted Sage. He was leaning up against the hospital building.

"You ready to go?" he asked him.

Naruto nodded.

"Hey Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said while they walked, "Thanks."

The old sage waved it off like it was no big deal. "Just remember that after this you need to accompany me on this terribly dangerous mission."

Naruto raised an eyebrow out of disbelief but remained silent due to the fact that they approached a rather large crowd.

The rest of the time they all spent in silence as their memories drifted back to a time when the third was alive and well, back when he was full of life and willing to help any that needed it.

/Break/

It was only a day later when Naruto woke up to a knock at the door. It was Danzou. He arrived early so that he could talk to him before he left.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." He greeted when the said blonde opened the door, "I hear that you are going on a mission this morning." He added as he walked into the small apartment.

"Hai, Danzou-sama," He said while backing away from the door to let his sensei in, "I leave in an hour."

"That's good." The old war-hawk responded as he looked around the room, "I just wanted to wish you luck on bringing back the new Hokage."

"What?" Any bit of Naruto that was sleepy or not focusing was now gone. "The new Hokage?"

"Well yes Naruto. We must replace Sarutobi before our enemies know we are without a leader. This is a very important task." He eyed the boy while hiding his smirk.

Naruto looked down momentarily to digest the news. "So they sent Jiraiya and me to do this?"

"No," He answered quickly, "Just Jiraiya, but he wanted you to go as well."

Naruto couldn't hide a small smile, _'He wanted me to go…'_

"Don't be too thrilled Naruto. The person you are after may not be fit to run this village. That is why I want you to be the ultimate judge on if she is qualified."

"Shouldn't Jiraiya be the one to do that? Besides, this person must be if they sent Jiraiya." He spoke while looking up at his sensei.

"I fear that Jiraiya may have an emotional attachment to her that will blind his judgment. You see, the person you are after is his old teammate, Tsunade."

"Tsunade? The other Sannin?" He asked.

"One in the same. I believe her long absents from the village may have had a negative effect on her loyalty. Who knows what she has been doing all this time, or why she has requested leave from her village."

Naruto thought for a moment. He wanted to think otherwise but couldn't find fault with his reasoning.

"That is why it must be up to you Naruto to deem her worthy or not." He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You will be the last defense this village has before she claims the powerful title of Hokage herself. Do whatever is necessary."

Naruto nodded in understanding before Danzou took his leave.

Naruto was at a loss for words. Why hadn't Jiraiya informed him that the mission was this significant?

All he could do was give a small sigh before walking slowly back to his bed. He sat down and looked across the room. Up against the wall were the remains of his two puppets. The clones within them had poofed out of existence, but what troubled him was that their memories came back to him. _'Odd,' _he thought.

Before he could dwell on anything too much, he realized the time and quickly hopped over to the bathroom to get ready.

Before he knew it, he was dressed and packed. He shouldered his belongings and headed for the door.

It was another few more minutes until he arrived at the southern gate. He didn't have time to say goodbye to anyone in particular, but he felt it was unneeded. He would only be gone for a short while.

/Break/

"So I did this?" Naruto asked his sensei as they made their way through the trees.

"Supposedly," The old man cranked his head up to look at the massive sphere hovering in the sky.

"I don't remember doing this." Naruto then looked down at the crater that was now a few feet from them.

"Yea they say the One-tailed beast is sealed in there." Jiraiya sounded impressed while eyeing his student in his peripheral.

"Wish I knew how I did that."

"Don't we all kid," He then turned to the boy, "I already went up there to check it out."

"Really?" Naruto sounded surprised, "What did you find out?" Anything to help him recreate that technique would be appreciated.

"Not much except those seals and chains weren't made to keep the Jinchuuriki in, but rather keep everything else out."

"Like what?" Naruto was at disbelief. Had he really done that?

"I don't know because it's too complicated for me to even comprehend. I'm guessing it keeps out everything, even time itself…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding, right?"

Jiraiya laughed before looking back at his student, "Did anyone ever tell you the story on how the moon was created?"

Naruto eyed him skeptically, "Another bed time story?"

"Well this kind of proves it," He laughed while he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "But if you don't want to hear it that's fine."

Naruto sighed and finally agreed to let Jiraiya tell the tale.

/Break/

Days had passed and Naruto held a small balloon in his hand. Jiraiya was trying to teach him the Rasengan but told the brat that this wasn't all that he was teaching him. The other time was to be spent on perfecting his other skills.

He spent most of the afternoon listening to Jiraiya speak about his father, and how much of a genius he was.

Naruto didn't doubt the man one bit. To be able to create so many techniques as well as form complicated seals to help him out instead of hindering him made him place his father on an even bigger pedestal.

He felt that there was almost no way of catching up to the legend he had become. One thing was for sure – he would surpass him.

Jiraiya noticed Naruto's expression and decided to add a compliment, "Don't worry Naruto. I think you'll cast one hell of a shadow one day."

"Yea I know. It'll be a while thought before I get there though."

"True, but that's the fun part of life. Instant gratification is good if you want to skip the great moments in life."

Naruto sighed as he turned back towards his balloon. He knew how he was supposed to do it, but actually doing it was harder than it appeared. Luckily he was able to use his Rinnegan to see how Jiraiya popped his balloon earlier. He figured it would take a good day or so to pop his.

"Alright we're here." Jiraiya said as they walked over a hill to reveal a city.

"You sure Tsunade's here?"

"Yea…maybe…probably not."

/Break/

Itachi and Kisame walked calmly down an apartment hallway. They had asked the woman down at the reception desk if she knew which room Jiraiya and Naruto was in. She was all too happy to give them the information when Itachi showed her his Sharingan.

"Are you sure about this?" Kisame asked in a calm whisper, "You heard from leader-sama that we should be extra cautious."

"This is our one shot, Kisame." Itachi replied in a similar fashion, "We don't know if we'll get this opportunity again now that Jiraiya's not here."

"True, but the Jinchuuriki having the Rinnegan presents another problem. How do we handle it? I've never fought against the Rinnegan."

"I'll handle it." Itachi looked at his partner, "I'll distract him and you remove his eyes."

Kisame smirked, "It'll be such a shame to remove that mutation from him."

"Mutation?" Itachi questioned as he stopped in the hallway.

"Yea, isn't the Rinnegan just a mere mutation?" He too stopped to look at Itachi

Itachi looked back at him, "The Rinnegan is not a Mutation." He then passed his stunned partner and headed for the door Naruto was hiding behind.

Kisame just shrugged off Itachi's behavior as one of the Uchiha's legendary mood swings they went through.

"This is it." Itachi stopped in front of a door and reached with agonizingly slow movements.

_Knock knock knock_

Inside the room a sleeping Naruto woke up and looked tiredly at the door. He slowly rubbed his eyes with his left hand while his right wiped the drool from his mouth. "Hold on." He said as he looked around his bed to find his upper cloths he had taken off.

After picking up his undershirt and vest and putting them on, he headed for the door.

He fully opened it without thinking.

His eyes shot open when the first thing he saw were the black cloaks with red clouds. He didn't need to even look up to know that they were not who he thought they were.

"Shinra Tensei (Divine Judgment)"

Before Itachi or Kisame could react, both were sent flying into and through the wall behind them. They hit a few more walls before they were outside the apartment complex.

It was when they hit another building in the distance when they finally stopped.

"What the hell was that?" Kisame asked as his body left the crater it created on the building and fell to the ground below.

Itachi fell to the ground as well, but he landed a little more gracefully. "He was supposed to look into my eyes."

"That was your plan?" Kisame asked, "Hell I should have just broke the door down and chopped off his legs. At least then he wouldn't be able to kick our ass so badly."

Itachi ignored him and looked up at the hotel he was sent flying from. On the third floor was the hole he and Kisame made unintentionally.

"Do we quit now? Or do we continue?" He asked his partner.

Kisame smiled, showing his shark-like teeth, "I say we get the little brat before he becomes too strong."

"Alright, I'll trap him in genjutsu and you shave off his limbs."

Kisame looked at him with concern, "You aren't going to use your Tsukuyomi are you? You know what that'll do to your eyes if you over use them."

"We really don't have a choice. Besides, it'll give you three solid seconds to act."

The ex-mist nin glanced back to the hotel, "Alright, let's get moving."

Meanwhile, Naruto didn't waste much time and quickly turned back to his bed. "Banshou Tenin (All Creation Attraction)" His black ninja sandals came flying back to him.

"Naruto!" A familiar voice shouted behind him from the hallway.

"Sasuke?" Naruto was unprepared for this. He expected the Toad Sage, but not Sasuke.

Sasuke came running down the hallway, but suddenly stopped when he spotted the hole in the wall. "What happened here?"

"I'll tell you about it later. Right now you both should probably leave."

"I can't leave." Sasuke looked outside through the opening, "I have to find him. I heard he was after you."

"Who?"

"My brother, Itachi."

"Oh, that might be one of the fellows I sent flying through here." He said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You might find him outside."

The young Uchiha looked at him with a glare in his eyes.

"It's not like I killed him or anything. Right now I'm going down to fight them. Coming with?" He asked.

"Them? You mean he's not alone?" Sasuke didn't sound concerned about there being more than one, "How many are with him?"

"Just one other nin," Naruto answered.

"Then you'll handle him. I need to kill Itachi."

Naruto shrugged, "Alright, as long as one of them remains alive so I can interrogate them."

"Then you'll have to leave this other man alive because Itachi will die by my hands." He swore as they both leapt from the hole in the wall and into the outside.

/Break/

Danzou sank deeper into his new chair as he wrapped the white robes of the Hokage closer around his chest. His left arm had reached up to pull down his new hat to cover his eyes.

"Hokage-sama," A root nin landed before him, "Should we chase after him?"

"No," Danzou answered quickly, "leave Itachi alone. That one is not to be trifled with."

The nin nodded before vanishing, leaving the new leader of the Leaf Village alone in his new office.

'_I can't believe my plan finally worked. Itachi's presence, along with having Naruto directly under my control, gave the Leaders of Fire Country enough reason to give me the seat. All that's left is the Jounin votes.'_

He relaxed into his chair a bit more knowing full well that the seat he was sitting in would be his until he died, and with Orochimaru's jutsu, that wouldn't be anytime soon.

'_Blasted Sannin left it encrypted. I might spend years trying to find out what it means.' _

The snake nin only gave the warhawk theories behind his work and a few test jutsus. This meant that he didn't have access to Orochimaru's jutsu, but the original concept. _'I guess this is a good thing. This means I can modify it to my liking._'

It also meant that if he could somehow transfer all his powers into another body, then he wouldn't have to keep cloning Naruto. It also meant he wouldn't lose his precious right arm or eye.

A knock from the door disturbed his thoughts.

"Enter."

Three nins entered. The one in the middle was tied up while the other two on his sides escorted him in. "We caught him trying to steal the Forbidden Scroll during the invasion."

Danzou eyed him carefully, "I actually expected this from you, Mizuki."

"What? You knew my intentions? How?" He was surprised by Danzou's knowledge.

"I have known for a while that you craved power and were willing to do almost anything…even join Orochimaru."

Mizuki's eyes opened wide.

"Dispose of him." Danzou reached up and brought his hat back down to cover his eyes_. 'It feels good to be in control.'_

**A/N**: Didn't think I would forget about Mizuki did you? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and if there are any grammar mistakes, let me know. One day I will go back and fix all the chapters. Also, please review.


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